Married?
by xArcherx
Summary: He knew that even though she was feeling terrible about doing this, there was no changing it. Her feelings were what they are. And his. . .were different. "Goodbye, Sakura." And he knew that no one else would make him smile like she had. Not again.
1. Chapter 1

To all my lovely readers,

There is only one word that I can utter to tell you how I feel: SORRY! This is probably not enough (of course it isn't) to have made you wait for so long. But you are in for a great surprise or a shock – it's in the way you interpret it.

Well for one, I have not abandoned **Married? **just like that. However, I am rewriting it. I am rewriting it so, so that you will have a clearer image of what is actually happening and what has happened in the past (in the story). There is no excuse I can give you, for my late update, except that I have had some schoolwork to attend to. But that is a pathetic excuse, so please do not take that into consideration.

There is, of course, something that has been bothering me for some time. This, however, is something I would rather keep to myself. If you will, please let me continue writing. I can't make promises because I have started to believe in the saying: _promises are made to be broken_. However, I can try to: be more careful with my chapters, have a beta-reader go through them before updating, not add too much drama into the story, and make my intentions clearer.

I must probably warn you: my writing style might be totally different, and the storyline has been changed a little. Actually, a lot. I do hope you're fine with this.

Thank you for listening. You may now read the prologue. This isn't much, but the first chapter is on its way. I will also try to update on a regular basis.

* * *

**Married?**

_by: xArcherx_

**Prologue**

"It's all right. Really. I'll…I'll just go visit Mother. It's been a while since I last saw her." Syaoran gave her what he hoped was a convincing smile.

However, she wasn't convinced. "Xiao Lang, I really think that if there is anyone who has to leave, it's me. This is all my fault, I—"

He silenced her by putting a finger to her lips. She stopped and waited, looking up at him with eyes full of guilt. Oh, how he hated that look! He searched for the right words to utter, words that would make both of them feel better. He could feel himself going cold; he knew he was changing already. He was changing back to what he had been until _she _– he looked down at the girl in front of him and smiled a little – came along and influenced him with her cheerful optimism and her innocence.

He put a hand on her hair and ruffled it gently. "Sakura, it's fine. In fact, it is actually a good thing that you told me how you really feel. We have been living a lie for so long." She was not oblivious to the bitter tone in his voice. "We don't want that, do we? So it would be best if the both of us just parted ways."

Had that been the right thing to say? He took a good look at her, wondering what she was thinking about. Most of the time, it was so easy to read her – her face was like a book. But all that he could discern from her face right then was plain misery and that guilt again. He sighed, unconsciously gaining her attention. She stared at him, her eyes wide, and suddenly—

"You _are_ upset!" she cried out, interpreting his sigh wrongly. He looked both startled and confused. "Of course you are. You thought my feelings for you were real for so long…" she murmured, trailing away and looking lost. Syaoran ran a hand through his hair, a clear sign of frustration. He could not comprehend what she was trying to say.

"Sakura, listen to me." He said clearly, enunciating each word. He took both her hands in his and held them tightly. "We cannot live this way anymore! Our feelings are not real." He knew that was untrue. His feelings for her were completely genuine. _She_ did not feel the same. "We have to move on. We need to begin our lives afresh. And for that, we need to pretend that we are not—" his lips quivered, "—married."

"Xiao Lang, I—" she stopped and let out a sigh. "I'm _so_ sorry."

He assured it was fine, although deep inside he couldn't help but wonder where he had gone wrong. He knew he could not put the blame on her, even though she was begging him to. How could he blame the only person he cared for? He chuckled quietly; bitterly. It was all over. She wasn't _his_ Sakura anymore. She was just Sakura.

"Sakura, will you do me a favour?" her immediate attention was overwhelming. He smiled yet again, trying to ease away the tension in the atmosphere. "Will you…will you keep your ring with you until…until everything is back to normal?"

"I promise."

His smile widened. "That is all I need."

He knew he could never smile again – for anyone. She was the first and the last one to open his heart; to make him see the world in a different way; to make him live his life cheerfully; to make him understand how much better life seemed once you let the warmth and care for the people you love flow out.

Nobody would replace her. He wouldn't let any other woman steal his heart and break it again. It was just too painful. He would live his life alone – even if it meant giving up everything he had grown so fond of.

Sakura had left behind a great impact on his life. But it did not last long. Unconsciously, he started to change; change back into the grumpy person he used to be. It did not affect him in any way, save for the fact that he sometimes pondered whether she would be upset with how he had turned out. But he always reminded himself on time, that no matter what, she didn't belong to him anymore.

Their marriage had been a lie – an alibi to prove that they were SoulMates. Li Syaoran knew he had been fooled. His pride hurt, and his life spoilt, he turned to the one solace he knew: solitude.

* * *

If I am not mistaken, that chapter was tragic. But then again, I suppose you were expecting it. I don't have the heart to put "Angst" in the genre, so I hope you don't mind. Thank you for reading. If you don't mind, please leave your comments so that I know how you felt.


	2. Chapter 2

I am extremely sorry for the delay. I want to be regular with my updates but I just don't believe my chapters are good enough. This chapter is short. I will, hopefully, make the other chapters longer than this one.

* * *

**Married?**

_by: xArcherx_

**Chapter One**

He was completely amazed.

There was no other way to describe it. Li Yelan was a very busy woman who certainly did not spend her time in her son's bedroom watching him wake up from a disturbed slumber.

"M-Mother." He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. No, he hadn't imagined her; she was standing in front of him with a very disapproving look on her face.

"Xiao Lang." There was something in the way she said his name. He was used to having people call him 'Syaoran' and there was only one person, apart from his Mother, who used his real name.

"Yes?" he tried not to cringe when he met his mother's gaze; there was something in her eyes that unnerved him. Was it disappointment? Disgust? Condescension?

She moved closer to his bed and sat on its edge, her eyes still scrutinizing his face. He resisted the urge to gulp and instead held his head high. The silence was depressing and Syaoran wanted nothing more than to bolt.

"It's been a month, Xiao Lang." Her tone was accusatory and she spoke clearly, enunciating each word. "And your wife is not home yet."

It hit him like a slap. He simply stared at the ground, his lips pressed into a thin line. Her words brought him immeasurable pain – pain beyond acknowledgement, pain beyond feeling. He could feel her eyes bore into his face and he kept his face devoid of emotion as he replied, "She is going through a lot right now. I don't want to disturb her."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that Xiao Lang?" she was sceptical. She cocked an eyebrow while she waited for an answer.

Instead, he replied with a smile that froze her heart for a moment. It was a bitter smile that she had never seen on his face before. It was unbecoming; but as much as she wished her son would smile more than he usually did, she realised that this particular smile of his was something that was far worse than his grim disposition.

She longed to ask him what was wrong. Yelan may be a severe Mother, but she knew her children well enough to understand when they needed to be left alone. She stood up abruptly, causing Syaoran to look at her in surprise. She nodded curtly and left the room.

Yelan understood better than anyone that you cannot force a flower to bloom or the sun to rise. It was the will of one's own self that made things happen.

* * *

Hiiragizawa Eriol stared at the sky, his eyes registering each and every star visible that night. A figure shifted in the shadows. Eriol smiled to himself before asking pleasantly, "Why, Spinel, I always thought Ruby Moon was the impatient one."

"Eriol-sama should know better than that."

The young man tore his gaze away from the sky and glanced into the water at his feet. It reflected his face – his surreal blue hair, eyes the colour of sapphires, and his fair complexion – before dissolving into nothingness. He stretched his arm, his palm facing the water and muttered an incantation.

The water immediately showed him the image of a girl with bright green eyes and light brown hair. He stared long at the picture, wearing a cynical smile. The image shifted and was replaced by a woman with flowing red hair and brown eyes. The figure hidden by the shadows immediately called out, "Eriol-sama..."

He was calm and collected. "Time can heal, Spinel." He turned away from the water and moved away gracefully, but not before casting another glance at the water, that was now erasing the image of a certain young man with intense amber eyes.

* * *

"I want everyone to say it again." The teacher underlined the word in the blackboard and stared at the class severely. "Come on now. Loud and clear."

Tomoyo mouthed the word aloud with many other people. Her eyes strayed yet again towards the girl sitting next to her, who was far from being in the mood to learn Italian. Tomoyo resisted the urge to sigh and willed herself to listen to the teacher. After all, _she _was the one who had been so keen on learning Italian.

"That's better." The teacher seemed satisfied. Her shrewd eyes searched the rows of students and finally settled upon the girl Tomoyo was sitting next to. Tomoyo immediately understood her intent. "Ah, Kinomoto-san. Would you mind telling the class the meaning of this word?" she underlined the Italian word for the umpteenth time.

Tomoyo nudged Sakura who blinked a few times and stared blankly at the teacher. "H-Hoe?"

"Kinomoto-san," The teacher repeated, in an exasperated tone, "Will you please tell me the meaning of this word?"

Sakura stood up and stared at the board, "Undici." She pronounced the word correctly, much to everyone's surprise – including Tomoyo. "Hai. It means...eleven."

"That's right." The teacher smiled, pleased. "You may sit down now, Kinomoto-san. And I expect you to pay more attention in class."

Sakura blushed and nodded. "H-Hai."

Tomoyo looked long and hard at the girl. "Sakura..." she whispered. "Since when did you know Italian?"

The look on Sakura's face made Tomoyo regret her words immensely. It was a pained look, and she unconsciously rubbed her ring finger – the one that held a beautiful diamond ring. She smiled, "Xiao Lang had an inclination towards Italian. So he made me learn it along with him." She focused her attention on the teacher, clearly unwilling to let the conversation continue.

Tomoyo could feel the gloom settle over her as she turned her head towards the teacher who was questioning another student. Tomoyo watched as the boy mumbled, clearly not knowing the answer to the question.

_Oh Sakura, _Tomoyo thought sadly, _What happened?_

* * *

I think I am going to take it slow with this fanfic. However, my plans change all the time. I will try my best to not just abandon this story. Thank you for reading. If you have any comments, do review.


	3. Chapter 3

I hope that was not a long wait. Anyway, I tried to make this chapter bigger. I think it will increase in size as we proceed with the story (hopefully). On with the story then.

* * *

**Married?**

_by xArcherx_

**Chapter Two**

It was the onset of winter – autumn having just died away. There was no sight of snow yet, but the cold breeze was familiar enough.

Toya stared at the empty streets, his eyes narrowed slightly. He could tell that this winter was going to be just as terrible as the last one. The dense air hid little.

"I would move away from the window if I were you." The gentle voice did not startle Toya in the least.

"Otou-san." Toya's eyes strayed to the sky outside.

"The cold wind will not do you good." Fujitaka leaned against the wall, eyeing his son keenly.

There was a pause. "I have experienced it before."

"Yukito called." Fujitaka changed the subject with tact. "He said he will return in an hour or so."

Toya grunted. "He'd better come back soon. The cold affects him too much."

His father made no reply as he joined his son in watching the sky. "This winter is going to be hard. But at least Sakura-chan won't be here to experience it."

The name affected Toya a lot more than he liked to show. Fujitaka did not miss the way his son's mouth pressed into a thin line or the way he clenched his fists. Toya grunted again while he tried to regain his composure. "Is something wrong, Toya?"

His assurance – that no, nothing was wrong – did little to quench Fujitaka's curiosity. Toya had been acting strangely for the past few days and Fujitaka had more than a hunch as to what it was about. He decided not to address the matter though, knowing that his son would take it badly. Toya was a proud young man and Fujitaka knew well enough that he hated to ask for advice. However, he could not help but wish Toya would admit how much he was worried about Sakura after all.

"Wouldn't you like to visit Sakura sometime?" Fujitaka smiled cheerfully. "I'm sure she would love to see you again although you annoy her so much."

This made Toya whirl around and look at his father in the eye. He tried to discern the strange light in his father's eyes. "I'm afraid this is not the right time." He deadpanned.

Fujitaka feigned bewilderment. "But it's been months since the wedding."

"Yes, Otou-san. But we should give them more time before we 'trespass on their hospitality' like Sakura says, don't you think?" Toya's dry smile did nothing to lighten the atmosphere.

Fujitaka was quick to note that Toya had called his sister by her name instead of the usual 'Kaijuu'. He let it slide though. "Hm, perhaps." He mused, knowing that he could say no more. "It's my turn to cook dinner. What would you like?"

"Anything is fine." Toya's eyes did not leave the sky as his father disappeared into the kitchen. His intense deep brown eyes narrowed even more as he watched the swirling movements of the clouds as they made their way to the east. Reflexively, Toya gripped the window sill and leaned outside, testing the wind.

"Otou-san was right." He muttered to himself as he drew back. "This winter is going to be hard. But at least Sakura isn't here to suffer along with us."

There was absolute silence save for the rustling of dried leaves as they were blown away by the wind. Toya lost himself in reading the sky again until the distant voice of Yukito calling brought him down to earth. "Really, Kaijuu," he mumbled, "did you honestly believe I wouldn't realise what is going on?"

* * *

"Will that be all, Mizuki-san?" Nakuru asked politely as she took back the file.

"Yes, Nakuru-san." Kaho Mizuki smiled gently at her secretary. "Oh, but, will you be so kind as to tell me what my next appointment is?"

"Of course." Nakuru quickly flipped through her notepad. "Originally, you had no appointment whatsoever until two in the afternoon. But I just received a call from Daidouji-sama who wants you in her office right away."

"Oh. Did she tell you why?" she asked, mildly befuddled.

Nakuru shook her head. "I do not know, Mizuki-san. She did say she wanted to discuss something of utmost importance with you, though." She added, as an afterthought.

"Did she sound worried?"

"Not at all." Nakuru shrugged. "You know Daidouji-sama, don't you Mizuki-san? She _always_ sounds business-like. Only last week, she requested me to come to her office and I complied, thinking it was nothing important. And did you know what she did? She almost fired me! She told me she had spotted me in the office cafeteria during work hours. I had only gone there to have a cup of coffee. It wasn't like I was slacking or anything. But, Daidouji-sama! – she _had_ to make it a big deal. I had to go down on my knees and apologize a hundred times before she agreed to let me stay!"

Kaho chuckled. "Oh yes, I know Daidouji-sama well enough."

"And I have this very distinct feeling, Mizuki-san that she was only talking to me about firing me because she was bored out of her mind and wanted to have some fun. I am certain she was trying hard not to laugh while I apologized persistently. Really, to think Daidouji-sama would resort to this!"

"Now, now Nakuru-san. Don't take it to heart. I'm sure Daidouji-sama was just trying to scare you, like you said. She knows how hard you work. Now if you will excuse me, I must be on my way." With a comforting pat on her secretary's shoulder, Kaho hurried away to the twentieth floor of the building, laughing at poor Nakura's plight.

She turned more sober, however, when she found herself standing outside Sonomi Daidouji's office. Kaho pondered what could have made Sonomi request to see her at her office immediately. Kaho was very rarely called to her office and during those rare occasions, her secretary always knew the reason behind Sonomi's request.

Nevertheless, Kaho rapped smartly on the door, and was immediately called inside. To her great surprise, she saw Sonomi pacing up and down her office agitatedly. She closed the door loudly behind her, causing Sonomi to stop her pacing and look up at her with worried eyes.

"What happened?" Kaho didn't bother to be polite. She had known Sonomi for a long time now.

The older woman motioned at the chair; Kaho did as she was told. She waited patiently as Sonomi took her seat and stared straight at her. There was something in her steady gaze that made Kaho uneasy. She repeated her question.

After a long gazing competition between the two women, Sonomi let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "There are a few reasons as to why I called you here." Her professional tone confused Kaho even more. "However, the matter of utmost importance, to me at least is..." Sonomi dropped all pretence as she whispered, "...Sakura."

Kaho's face betrayed no emotion. "Sakura? What about her?" Sonomi could tell she was just as worried as she was, deep inside.

"She..." Sonomi sighed again. "She is staying with my daughter at present."

The initial confusion that Kaho had had vanished completely to be replaced by comprehension. "I see. And Syaoran—"

"—is not with them." Sonomi finished it for her, nodding her head with her eyes closed. "What do you think that means?"

"It cannot be." Kaho declared with a firmness seldom seen in her. "We both know they are meant to be."

Sonomi looked desperate. "Yes, but—"

"Do not doubt the Elders' words, Sonomi." Kaho said gently; wisely. "It is not right."

Sonomi looked withdrawn as she said, "Very well. I understand."

Kaho smiled. "Will that be all Sonomi-san?"

"As a matter of fact," Sonomi began, regaining her professional tone. "there is something, or rather, some_one_..." she drifted off as she produced a large piece of thick paper. A photograph. Kaho leaned in, looking at the photo curiously. Sonomi tilted it so that she would have a better view. Kaho's eyes widened minutely and she almost let a gasp escape.

The photo revealed a handsome young man with dark, unmistakable blue hair and eyes of the same colour. He was bespectacled and was staring at something, an amused smile lighting up his already distinguishable features. He was a deathly pale – but it looked natural on him.

"Do you know him, Kaho?"

Sonomi's voice immediately made Kaho snap out of her amazement. She pretended to be confused and shook her head. Sonomi was an observant woman, but she had been wrapped up in her own worry to notice the slight change in Kaho's disposition. "I'm afraid I don't know who he is. He does look slightly familiar though."

"Is that so?" Sonomi stared at the picture.

Kaho knew the discussion was over. But she couldn't help asking, "Do you have any business with him?"

Sonomi looked at her oddly. The gaze made Kaho realise that she was not the only one keeping secrets. "You can put it that way. But it's very trivial. You may go now, Mizuki-san. I will call you again if I need you for anything."

Kaho took her leave, and made her way back to her office – all the while wondering about the photo. What was Sonomi doing with that photo? How did she get it? What business did she have with that man? Thoughts of Sakura were pushed to the back of her mind, unconsciously.

The young woman leaned back in her chair, the image of the smiling man still sharp and clear in her mind. Kaho sighed and opened her eyes. "Eriol Hiiragizawa..." she let out slowly. "What are you doing in my life again?"

* * *

He had to be dreaming this time.

It had come to him as a shock when his Mother had decided to pay him a little visit in his room, while he was still sleeping, a week ago. It came to him as even more of a shock when the last person he thought would like to see him stood by his door, waiting patiently for him to wake up.

It was Meiling Li. He was definitely dreaming this time. There was no doubt about that.

The last time he had seen her, she had run out of his house, crying miserably. After that, he didn't hear from her at all and his Mother had quietly told him that she had left for Japan. He had wanted to go after her – to ask for forgiveness, but he realised that it would only hurt her even more if she had to face him again.

He really couldn't understand why the dreams looked so real at times.

"Li-kun..." the hesitant tone and the way she spoke his name almost had him laughing. Meiling always called him 'Syaoran-kun' although he had never given her permission to do so. He had always been particular about how people called him. But Meiling was the only one righteous and bold enough to break the rule and get away with it.

"Li-kun?" it was a question this time and the tone was doubtful. "Are you awake yet?"

"What a bizarre dream..." he mumbled to himself as he opened his eyes wider and still found her standing by his door.

She took a step forward and hesitated. "Li-kun?" she said for the third time. "What did you say?"

The truth finally sank in when she reached out for him, but let her hand drop at the last moment. His eyes went wider than they already were. "M-Meiling?"

She nodded gravely. "I'm here. Is something wrong?"

His mouth refused to close. He swallowed hard and put a hand on his forehead, looking dazed. "Is-is it really you?"

She shot him a confused look and he saw a hint of the old Meiling again. "Of course, it's me."

He rubbed his eyes. "When did you get here?"

"Last night. Now if you will, Yelan-sama would like to see you." She turned away and made her way out of his room.

"No—wait, don't go!" he jumped out of his bed and called after her. She stopped and looked at him in surprise. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Just please, stay with me for a while."

She did not consent immediately but she didn't leave him alone either. The silence was awkward and he didn't know what to say to her. It had been months since he saw her – he hadn't even seen her at the wedding. She still looked the same though and that made him realise how much he had actually missed her.

"It's..." he cleared his throat in an attempt to make the lump in his throat go away. "...it's good to see you again, Meiling."

"Hm." She didn't look at him. "You look well, Li-kun."

It was then that it hit him; the reason why she seemed so different although she looked the same. She was acting different around him. She was being more formal, more polite, and less...boisterous.

Disconcerted, he made no reply. "Well then, Li-kun, I think you should meet Yelan-sama now. She seems highly disturbed and she wants you in her presence immediately. I would advise you to go to her soon." She gave him a quick bow. "I will take my leave now."

He watched her turn her back to him as she reached for the door. On an impulse, he caught her hand. She froze and waited motionlessly, wondering what he was up to. "I've missed you, Meiling." His voice was so tender, so gentle. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the warmth he was sending through her body. She knew what she was doing was not right, but she succumbed to the exhilarating feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. "I'm glad you're back."

He let her go, and she stepped away shakily. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, limply. Only he could make her feel this way.

Anybody could see she was still in love with him.

* * *

Thank you for reading. Reviews will be appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay. Wow. That took a long time. It's not LONG, though. I really should make the chapters long if I want to have things happening quickly. But then again, I've always taken it slow. Anyway, I hope you like it.

* * *

**Married?**

_by xArcherx_

**Chapter Three**

Spring always brought with it happy thoughts. For some, it brought pleasant memories and for others, it was a just a source of beauty. But there is always someone or the other for whom spring can never bring joy nor can it seem beautiful.

"Sakura, could you hold this for me?" Tomoyo thrust a glass vase into her friend's hand absentmindedly as she searched for a particular magazine. "Where could it have gone? I wrote the address on it…"

It took her a moment to register the sound of breaking glass and slight whimpering.

"Sakura? Sakura!" Tomoyo whipped around and hurried to her friend's side, just in time to catch her as she sank to the ground, her face pale. Tomoyo struggled to support her weight while she reached out with one hand for a clean towel to put on Sakura's wounded hands. More whimpering followed as Tomoyo dragged her to the bathroom where the first-aid kit was kept.

Sakura sat motionlessly the whole while and Tomoyo made no attempt to start any sort of conversation. She placed Sakura's physical wellbeing before everything else in order to prevent the numerous questions flooding her mind from voicing themselves out loud.

"There." She examined her work with satisfaction. "Don't move it too much, Sakura-chan. It seems to me that the glass shards cut into your skin pretty deeply. But nothing to worry about, I suppose." She added the last line more to convince herself.

Sakura stared at her bandaged hand and then slowly looked up at Tomoyo. The look on her face was enough to make Tomoyo cringe. The smile was so brittle that for once, Tomoyo wished she would stop smiling.

In spite of herself, Tomoyo caught hold of Sakura's shoulders and whispered, "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"

And then, very, very slowly, Sakura pointed at the television in the living room. Tomoyo turned around just in time to hear the woman on television say, "The cause of the fire is unknown. But the major portion of the building had been destroyed before the firemen could arrive."

Behind her, stood the main branch of the Amamiya Corporations, or what was left of it. The debris of the building was all that Tomoyo could see. Men in white uniforms were transferring wounded people into a stretcher and placing them in an ambulance. Tomoyo could only watch numbly, her mind registering mild relief that her mother was still on her business trip in Hong Kong and had not been a victim of the fire.

Oh my God.

Tomoyo slowly looked around at Sakura, who had moved from her position near the bath tub to come and stand near the doorway. Their eyes met and Tomoyo could see the pain in those once-vibrant green eyes. Her mouth opened and she choked out the words, "Otou-san and Onii-san work there…"

"I know." Tomoyo whispered slowly. "Oh Sakura…I know.."

"They can't have been hurt, can they?" Sakura's tone was small – almost child-like. She let out a bitter chuckle. "They're fine, right? Nothing would have happened to them…right, Tomoyo-chan?"

What could she say? Tomoyo embraced Sakura, hoping wildly that it would be enough – for now. Sakura welcomed her arms and buried her face in her shoulder. They stood that way for a long while, both unwilling to break the embrace. The warmth of a companion was what Sakura needed right now and although Tomoyo was more than happy to give it to her, it was not her place to do so. Syaoran should have been here. It should have been Syaoran's arms that offered comfort.

'Oh where on earth are you, Syaoran?' she thought to herself.

* * *

Meiling composed herself as she stood in front of Syaoran's room again. She really could not understand her Aunt's ulterior motive. Yelan was not foolish or blind enough to _not_ know how Meiling felt about her son – the son who was _married_. And yet it somehow seemed like she was trying to push them together by sending Meiling to call him whenever she wanted to talk to him.

Nevertheless, she knocked on the door. "Li-kun?"

No answer.

Maybe she was being too quiet. In a louder tone, she called for him. "Li-kun? Are you awake?"

No reply.

Meiling frowned; Syaoran was not a sound sleeper. He was always alert and conscious of his surroundings – even in his sleep. It came naturally to him, after training for so many years. Meiling remembered trying to wake him up once, when they were younger, and he, mistaking her for an intruder, had locked her in wrestler's grip before even opening his eyes to see who it was.

Sensing something out of place, Meiling tried the door-knob and stepped inside. The room was painfully neat and empty of its owner. She listened for any sound in the bathroom that would indicate his presence. None.

Where could he have gone? It was still too early to go out. And Meiling was sure Wei would have been informed of his whereabouts if he had decided to go calling this early in the morning. The old butler was just as clueless as Meiling was. Besides, Syaoran, of the late, had not proven to be an early-riser.

'Maybe he's lurking somewhere in the house and Aunt Yelan had not noticed.' This sounded ridiculous even in her head. Syaoran never spent time in the house doing nothing. He hated being jobless and bored. He always wanted to do something productive.

Taking one last look around his room to make sure he wasn't there, she made for the door, to inform Aunt Yelan about this strange occurrence. But the paper lying on the bedside table caught her attention. Meiling had an inkling as to what it might hold, but she refused to believe her own suspicions. No, Syaoran wouldn't just do that.

She reached for the paper. It was folded into four, albeit carelessly, and Meiling opened the 'letter' – she was sure of that now – with shaking hands. Written in the center of the paper, in Syaoran's hand were the words:

_I will be back. I promise._

—_Syaoran._

"No, Syaoran." Meiling moaned.

* * *

Eriol stared at the gross scene displayed before him – people screaming and running wildly in terror. A normal person would cower at the sight of so many corpses lying here and there, but Eriol was used to these sights and didn't so much as flinch when he saw a dead woman – her face so disfigured that no one could discern what she really looked like.

"That's enough." He muttered to himself. In a brighter tone, "Thank you, Mirror. You may stop now."

The shining mirror in front of him, took the form of a young woman with long hair, weaving in and out of which was a green ribbon. She bowed and lifted her sad eyes to his blank face, before disappearing into the Card he held in his hand. The gloom she left behind made both Ruby Moon and Spinel uncomfortable but Eriol seemed oblivious to this.

"At least Kaho-chan is safe and sound in Hong Kong." Ruby Moon said unwisely, in a desperate attempt to hold off the gloom. The warning look from Spinel was completely lost on her.

Eriol would be lying if he denied the fact that the same thought hadn't crossed his mind at least a couple of times that day. He made no reply, however, as he put away the Mirror Card along with the rest of the Sakura Cards.

The reason for the Cards discomfort was obvious enough – they did not take to being owned by another magician – other than their own Mistress – too well. Eriol did not particularly like putting them in misery but since the circumstances called for that, he couldn't help it. It seemed that giving them additional powers did not help in cheering them up. The Mirror Card was never able to_show _things happening in different places before. She was only able to mirror a person.

"Co-incidence or fate? What does Spinel think it is?" His light tone caught Spinel off-guard.

The black beast did not understand what exactly his Master was referring to. Eriol was usually more conversational. He did not debate something in silence and then ask for his comrades' opinions. Spinel was not good at mind-reading but the answer to the question was easy enough. "Fate, of course. Nothing is co-incidental – it is always fate."

"Hm. So it is fate that brings me to Syaoran Li, is it?"

Spinel could see where this was going. "Definitely."

Eriol resumed his silent-debate while Spinel waited patiently. Ruby Moon cast confused glances at either of them. She did not like being left out of conversations but she was secretly glad that Eriol had not asked her the question. Spinel exuded more confidence than Ruby Moon did.

"That is how it goes." Eriol muttered finally. "Spinel, Ruby Moon, make arrangements for our journey. Book flight tickets. I'd prefer to use the Cards as less as possible. We are leaving for Tokyo."

This, Ruby Moon could understand. On their way out, she whispered to Spinel, "I hope Eriol knows what he's doing."

Spinel shot her a look. "Eriol always knows what he's doing."

Ruby Moon made no reply. After a while, she said tauntingly, "Well it looks like Syaoran misses his Sakura-_chan _too much. I can only pray that Eriol's comfort is satisfying."

* * *

Toya and Fujitaka stared at the wreckage all around them. How had it come to this? So many lives lost and all because of carelessness. They were still trying to find the source of the fire but Toya personally thought it was probably because some stupid worker smoked in a dangerous zone.

Fujitaka put a hand around his son's shoulder, both offering and looking for comfort. Toya straightened and stared at his father, his eyes burning with a firm resolve – a resolve to work hard and bring back everything that has been lost. But sad to say, lives cannot be revived and for the moment, Fujitaka grieved for the dead corpses lying everywhere.

"Toya! Fujitaka-san!" Yukito came running to them and pulled them into a tight embrace. "Oh you're all right. Thank God!"

Fujitaka excused himself to attend to something. Yukito held Toya at arm's length and took a good look at him. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No Yuki, I'm fine." Toya assured him. "We weren't in the office when it happened."

Yukito let out a relieved sigh and let go of him. "I was so worried. I thought—that maybe—you know…"

"Yes, I know." Toya patted his shoulder. Without meeting his gaze, he added, "I'm fine. Not hurt at all."

Yukito noticed the change in his tone but decided not to ask any questions. Toya had a lot more to deal with. This was a calamity – something worse than an earthquake, in Yukito's opinion, because it had almost taken away the lives of the people he cared about the most. Yukito didn't care that he was being selfish – he was allowed to be selfish. He had every right to be. He had come all the way from home, his anxiety eating him. He would never be able to describe the emotions he had felt as he had journeyed here.

Beside him, Toya and Fujitaka were talking in hushed tones. Yukito wanted to give them privacy, but he couldn't help but overhear a few words as he moved away.

"Is he still unconscious?" It was unnatural to hear Toya sound worried.

"Yes. Takashi offered to take him to the hospital. Toya, I…what am I going to tell Sakura? Why was he even here? This is-this is too much…"

Fujitaka's weak voice had Yukito stopping in his tracks. Who were they talking about? Even the calm and collected Fujitaka sounded vulnerable. Everything was a mess. This was never supposed to happen. What did they do to deserve this? How can those innocent lives just be taken away? Yukito noticed a dead man being taken away in a stretcher. How could the man have known what was going to happen? Had he had an inkling perhaps? That maybe something was going to wrong? Life wasn't fair. It was a famous saying. Yukito hadn't realized the truth of it until then.

"Otou-san…" Toya's strong voice broke through Yukito's thoughts clearly. "None of this is your fault. You must understand that. Otou-san, you should try to calm down. He is going to be all right."

One life. One life is going to be fine. But what did Toya have to say about the lives that have already been lost? Yukito had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. This fire seemed planned to him, somehow. How else could the carelessness of a single worker – Yukito had heard Toya's belief that it was the stupidity of a worker – cause the destruction of an entire building?

"Toya…" Fujitaka began and then stopped short. His voice laced with amazement, he called out at someone behind Toya. "Sakura? Tomoyo? What—"

"OTOU-SAN! TOYA!" Sakura yelled, throwing herself on her brother. "Oh-oh…"

Tomoyo came up behind her, sobbing happily. "You're both safe." She cried. "Oh thank goodness…"

Sakura was still lost for words. She wept quietly, never letting go of her family. It seemed almost as though she had to assure herself that they were alive – safe and sound.

"How did you get here so soon?" Toya asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"Tomoyo..she..booked tickets..as soon as we heard…" Sakura said, through her tears. "Are you both really okay? No injuries?"

"No, we weren't here when it happened." Toya said, for the second time.

"Oh..good..that's so..I'm so relieved to hear that.." It was then that she caught sight of Yukito. "Yukito-san!"

"Sakura-chan." He said, trying to be as good-natured as possible in the midst of such a depressing incident. Behind Sakura, he noticed both Toya and Fujitaka looking highly uncomfortable. Tomoyo seemed to have noticed it too. She was about to ask them if something was wrong when she caught sight of Yukito shaking his head minutely. She immediately clamped her mouth shut, although confused.

Toya and Fujitaka exchanged glances while Sakura wondered why everybody was so silent all of a sudden. "What's the matter?" she asked, the panic rising with each word.

"Sakura-chan…" Fujitaka took hold of her hand. "There's something you should know."

"What is it? You're not hurt, are you? You seem all right. Otou-san, what—"

"Sakura, we need you to stay calm. Please." Toya said cautiously.

Sakura looked back at her father, who nodded. She took a deep breath, albeit shakily, and exhaled slowly. When she looked up, she seemed steadier, somehow. "I'm fine now. What is it?"

Toya's eyes flitted to his father as he spoke. "It's about Syaoran."

This caught all of them off-guard. What did Syaoran have to do with this? He was in Hong Kong, wasn't he? Both Tomoyo and Yukito frowned in confusion. Sakura seemed the most bewildered. She looked at her father again. "Syaoran? What about him?"

It was Fujitaka who replied. "He was in the office when the fire took place. He flew here this afternoon."

* * *

Would that be a cliff-hanger? I hope it was interesting enough. I would love some reviews too. Thank you for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

I surprise myself with the quick update. Anyway, here's chapter four. And thanks to all the people who reviewed my chapter last time!

* * *

**Married?**

_by xArcherx_

**Chapter Four**

Cerberus stared at the book in front of him. The Book of Clow. A book, that only the greatest of magicians could have written; a book that held secrets and whose key lay in the hearts of two young people.

He stroked its spine gently. "Do you think it was right to let Sakura get married so early, Yue?"

The figure standing close to him shifted. "Whether it was right or wrong, is not for us to decide."

"But you saw her, didn't you?" Cerberus asked. "She is definitely miserable. We need to do something. Maybe we should—"

"—leave her alone." Yue finished it for him, knowing very well that that was not what he had intended to say. "Let her be, Cerberus. We cannot help her." He placed a hand on Cerberus's furry forehead, seemingly uncomfortable. Yue had always found it difficult to express himself.

There was a pause. Then, "The fire. Do you think it was intentional?"

Yue kept quiet for a long time. "There is no other explanation. How else could a small fire have destroyed the whole building? There were fire alarms everywhere."

"Who hates Fujitaka-san and Toya so much?" Cerberus wondered. "I did not know they had enemies."

"Everyone has enemies, whether they are aware of that or not." Yue said curtly. "But in this case, it does not necessarily have to be an enemy."

"Who then? Why would anyone – who does not hold a grudge against the Kinomotos – have done this?"

"The Kinomotos are not the only ones who own the company, Cerberus." Yue reminded him.

"Sonomi-san and Kaho-san were both on a business trip when this happened." Cerberus said grimly. "They were not the ones who almost lost their lives."

"Cerberus, think." Yue said coldly. "Whoever caused the fire was a powerful person. He or she was able to destroy the whole building. But they also made sure none of the important people were injured. Except for Li." He added.

"What is their motive then? Fear?" Cerberus asked, highly bewildered.

"Perhaps."

Cerberus shook his head, revolted. "So many people burnt to death! How could someone have done this just to be noticed-just to be feared?"

Yue looked at him shrewdly. Cerberus met his eyes and his own ones widened. "No…" he whispered. "It cannot be…not him.."

Yue averted his gaze. "There is a huge possibility that it _is_ him."

Cerberus gazed at the book lying in front of him, still trying to register what he had just unearthed. "But-but…"

Yue cast him a sidelong glance. "We might have been wrong, after all. He is a powerful man. It was foolish to think he was gone forever."

Cerberus swallowed hard. "It-it still doesn't make sense."

Yue knew it was time to change the topic. "He did do a good job of hurting Sakura."

That caught Cerberus's attention. "Sakura…" He looked at the dark sky outside. Then he said abruptly, "The dawn is far away."

Yue grunted. "The darkness is intimidating but we shall fight; hope upon hope…"

It was something that barely passed as what Yue would say that Cerberus could not help but smile. "I see Sakura has had quite a large influence on you."

Yue avoided his teasing gaze. "She is the Card Mistress after all."

Cerberus eyes turned tender. "I'm glad you have finally come to accept her, Yue." He told him gently.

"It was what Clow Reed wanted." For a rare moment, Yue's voice was coloured with emotion. "I could not refuse."

Cerberus averted his eyes back to the sky. "Yes. And I'm sure he's happy."

* * *

Yelan sat looking devastated, with a crumpled piece of paper in one hand and a phone in the other. Beside her, Meiling sobbed quietly. Wei stood a little away from them, giving them their privacy, unable to digest the shocking news.

Yelan shifted and Wei caught her whimper. He longed to offer comfort, but he knew not how. With mild hesitation, he reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. He put another arm around Meiling and pulled her closer, words failing him as the girl sobbed into his shoulder. For a long while, the only sound in the room was muffled sobbing.

"Young Master is going to be all right, Yelan-sama." He said, trying to sound confident.

She did not reply but she looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears and her face blotchy. She opened her mouth, as thought to speak, but then closed it again and nodded. The usually confident aura around her had completely gone, to be replaced by wretched helplessness and anxiety.

Wei had seen her so distressed only once before – when her husband had died. He knew that she wouldn't be able to take it if she lost her son too – the son who resembled his father so much. Wei knew Yelan was blaming herself for this and no amount of comfort would erase the feeling burrowed deep inside her heart – the feeling that she had not proved to be a good parent.

The old butler knew it wasn't true. Yelan was a good mother and had brought up her children surprisingly well on her own. All of Syaoran's sisters were happily married and successful in life and Wei knew it was all thanks to Yelan's upbringing.

However, Syaoran had been a different matter altogether. Yelan had been a bit hard on him when he was child because he was the one who would be taking over the Li Corporations when he was old enough. Wei had watched the child as he had grown up and even he could see that Syaoran longed for a father figure more often than not.

Wei had tried to be as much of a parent as he could but there had always been a line that he had been afraid to cross although Syaoran had willingly accepted his fatherly demeanour. Wei had served the Li family for over fifty years now and the respect he had for them made it difficult for him to be more at ease with the Li heir.

And now, the young Master had been reckless enough to run away from home. Wei wouldn't call it an act of cowardice but more of an acceptance of the fact that Syaoran wasn't ready to handle so many things at once. And who else made him feel sane but his wife? It was natural Syaoran had missed her and had wanted to see her.

But the fire had ruined it all.

Syaoran was dangerously close to death and none of them could accept that. Wei looked at Yelan who caught his gaze and seemed to crumble underneath it. Standing straighter, he asked, "Is there anything I can do, Meiling-san, Yelan-sama?"

Meiling wiped her tears and said, "Yes, Wei-san, we would like to leave for Japan today, if possible."

Wei bowed. "Of course, Meiling-san. I will see to it right away." He turned to the mistress of the household, awaiting her orders with such a respectful silence that Yelan couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"Let no one know of this incident." She said, regaining the commanding tone in her voice little by little. "This is personal and shall remain so." Wei left the room with a final bow and Meiling excused herself to pack their bags.

Yelan smoothened the crumpled piece of paper she held in her hand and read the two sentences over and over again. Stuffing the paper into her pocket, she listened to the mild patter of the rain outside. "You promised, Xiao Lang." She whispered to herself. "You promised to come back and I'm not going to let you get away without fulfilling your promise. You're going to come back home whether you like it or not and I _will_ make sure you do."

* * *

Sakura stood staring at the limp figure completely covered in bandages through a glass pane in the door. Tomoyo appeared behind her with a cup of steaming cocoa.

"I-I can't, Tomoyo-chan..." she whispered, without turning back, answering Tomoyo's silent question. "I just can't go inside. It-it's too hard."

"But you know you want to, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo insisted, as tenderly as she could. She could see the fear and hesitation in Sakura's eyes. But she knew that the first person Syaoran would like to see when he regained his consciousness would be Sakura. Tomoyo could guess that the reason Syaoran had even come to Japan would be to see Sakura again. "Visitors are allowed now that they have moved him from the ICU."

"He was supposed to be in Hong Kong- safe and sound." Sakura mumbled, more to herself than Tomoyo. "How could this have happened?"

"The doctor said he's out of danger." Tomoyo tried to sound comforting; cheerful. "We only have to wait for him to wake up."

Sakura's immense relief in finding both her father and brother unharmed had vanished completely to be replaced by fear and worry – stronger than ever before – when she had had heard about Syaoran's condition. He had been dangerously close to the fire. He had been trapped; he had inhaled a lot of smoke; if they hadn't rescued him in the nick of time, he could have-he would have—

"Sakura-chan, he's going to be all right." Tomoyo said for the umpteenth time. "He's safe now. His burns will be healing soon."

"It's just so-so brutal." Sakura whispered. "He had been so close to death, Tomoyo. He could have _died_! I come all the way here to see Otou-san and Onii-san safe and sound only to realise later that my best friend had almost died! Do you even know how horrible that was? I couldn't breathe – I feel so numb, even now! It's like I can't even take in what had just happened. I-I..." Sakura choked and started to sob.

For the second time that week, Tomoyo embraced her silently. There was too much of chaos; too much of confusion; too much of misery; too much of everything. And it all had to fall down on Sakura's shoulders. Sweet, innocent Sakura who hated the very thought of pain and wouldn't ever dream of inflicting it on anybody – even someone who has caused her misery.

"You're right, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura said after a long pause, pulling away and sniffing audibly. "I have to go inside. I need-need to be there beside him. I can't just stand by and watch while he suffers. I simply can't bear it."

Tomoyo gave her what she hoped was an encouraging smile. Sakura returned it – with a little bit of trembling, after crying so much. She opened the door and stepped inside with Tomoyo watching.

And yet, Tomoyo could not shake away the uneasy feeling that was once again taking control of her. She recalled Sakura's terrified words '_I come all the way here to see Otou-san and Onii-san safe and sound only to realise later that my best friend had almost died!'_

'Best friend.' Tomoyo thought. 'She said best friend, not husband.'

Tomoyo knew she might be going paranoid but something felt wrong. What had happened between the two of them? Syaoran hadn't come to visit along with Sakura. Syaoran had been in Hong Kong while Sakura was in Japan – with Tomoyo. He had come to visit Sakura all of a sudden without even telling her. Maybe he had wanted it to be a surprise. Maybe he—

"Tomoyo!" A familiar voice called out. Tomoyo could hear the sound of hasty footsteps behind her and turned to see her Mother fling her arms around her, almost knocking her down.

"Okaa-san!" Tomoyo said happily. "You're back."

"Oh Tomoyo! I'm so glad you aren't hurt. I just heard about Syaoran." Sonomi's voice turned grave. "What is going on, Tomoyo?"

"For once, I would like to ask the same question myself."

* * *

Kaho withdrew quietly having watched enough of the mother-daughter reunion. She badly needed some coffee to calm her nerves and energize her exhausted body. She smiled to herself as she recalled the look of relief on Sonomi's features when she had seen for herself that her daughter had not been harmed in the least. Kaho hadn't been able to convince the older woman that Tomoyo couldn't have possibly been harmed since the fire had taken place in Tokyo and Tomoyo didn't live there.

The news of the fire on television immediately had the both of them cancelling their business trip midway and catching the instant flight to Japan. They had both been deeply agitated while in the flight. No news of Fujitaka or Toya had reached them and that had made them deeply anxious. It was quite an abnormal sight – seeing Sonomi so jumpy.

Filling her cup with coffee, Kaho remembered the shock of finding out that it wasn't Fujitaka or Toya who had been harmed but Syaoran. Syaoran, who was supposed to be in Hong Kong; who was not a part of the Amamiya Corporations at all, although the Li Corporations was an ally.

The coffee cup almost slipped out of her hands when she turned around to find herself staring at the last person she thought she would see – especially on that particular day.

"Hello, Kaho." The deep azure eyes stared down at her.

"E-Eriol." She cast an inconspicuous glance around them. Eriol also seemed to have noticed the number of people bustling about around them and beckoned her inside one of the empty rooms. As she went through the open door he held for her, Kaho realised that she should have seen this coming. She heard the distinct sound of a door being locked. She turned around to face him, the look on her face neither defiant nor defeated.

He was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Kaho wasn't in the mood for playing with words. She was too tired to argue with him. "What are you doing here, Eriol?" she asked finally, after the staring competition ended – neither of them knowing who had won.

He seemed to notice the exhausted tone of her voice but decided to let it slip. "I came here to see Syaoran." He knew he could never hide the truth from her.

"He's in the room close to the ICU. I think the number is 201. It's right down this corridor. The room at—"

"How are you doing, Kaho?" he interrupted her. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

"I'm fine." She replied, rather surprised by his gentle voice. "How are you, Eriol?"

He didn't answer her immediately. "I've been better."

The silence that engulfed the room was very bitter. Kaho decided that it wasn't the right time to pursue the subject. There was too much going on already and she couldn't deal with him right then. And she physically felt too tired all of a sudden. "I suppose the Cards are giving you a hard time."

He started, staring incredulously at her, but the amazement was gone in a moment. He could feel himself smiling and replying, "Not really. They are just worried about their Mistress."

"It's a hard time for all of us." Kaho said thoughtfully. "We'll just have to pull through somehow." She stifled a yawn.

He made no reply and she refused to meet his gaze. The wretched silence was back again. She looked around the room and finally noticed that neither Ruby Moon nor Spinel was accompanying Eriol. She was even more surprised that she had not noticed this sooner. Really, the journey and the anxiety had taken a toll on her body. She seriously needed to sleep for a while. "Where are Spinel and Ruby Moon?"

"They know when I need them and when I don't." He sounded distant – almost cold but Kaho pretended not to notice.

"I hope they are doing well." She said, a small smile lighting up her features as she thought about the two of them.

He whipped his head around to catch the smile. It had been so long since he had seen her smile. And it amazed him more than ever now and he stood frozen in place, unable to look away. She noticed his posture and frowned in confusion. "Is everything all right, Eriol? Are you well?" she took a step toward him in concern, and tripped over a leg of the chair, miscalculation its distance.

He caught her in an instant and pulled her to her feet – both of them finally noticing the position they were in. One arm encircled her waist while the other held her elbow cautiously. Kaho immediately broke his grip on her waist. His other hand slipped to her wrist and held it tightly. She stared up at him, making a big mistake. His eyes – his mesmerizing blue eyes – seemed to glow strangely, trapping her in place.

Meanwhile, Eriol couldn't think of letting go of her. She was unique – in her own special way – and the only person in his life who could understand him – his thoughts, his words, and even his actions.

It had been a long time since they had stood so closely to each other. Memories came rushing back into their minds – memories they had tried so hard to suppress. They took control of their minds – only for a moment though because they were both very conscious of their surroundings.

Kaho stepped away hastily and this time, he let her go albeit unwillingly. She hesitated for a moment and then bowed slightly, murmuring a 'thank you' and rushed out of the room.

Eriol stood still, his hands clenched into tight fists. Her eyes, her hair, her face – she had been too close for comfort. Eriol let out a sigh, recalling how broken-hearted he had been the last time she had left – not exactly in the same fashion as she had done just moments ago.

The door opened and he whirled around, half-expecting to see her coming back, but it was only Ruby Moon in her human form. She held Spinel in her hand – who had also taken up his plush-toy form – and he spoke quietly, "Shall we see him now, Eriol-sama?"

Eriol kept his eyes on a dry cherry tree outside as said, "Not now, Spinel, not today. Maybe some other day."

* * *

Sakura edged closer to the still form on the bed. She longed to hold his hand, to assure herself that he was still alive and recovering. But he was covered in bandages all over that she was afraid she might hurt him unintentionally.

Her eyes filled with tears as she took in his limp form and his pale face almost fully covered by those bandages but she could still spot his thin, parched lips, his closed eyes, and parts of his cheeks. She put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from sobbing for fear of waking him up. Sakura felt so restrained all of a sudden.

It wasn't fair. Xiao Lang didn't deserve this. He didn't ask for any of this. She took a step back, finding it too hard to keep looking at that wrecked body. She closed her eyes to prevent the tears from spilling down her cheeks. Her lips trembled and her nostrils flared as the lump in her throat increased in size.

And it hurt her the most that he had come all the way here for _her_. He wouldn't be lying there, damaged from head to toe, if he hadn't flown to Japan just to see her. Somehow it all boiled down to her. Sakura knew she was being idiotic to think all of this was her fault but she just couldn't help it. It was hard enough going through each day with the thought that she had hurt her best friend. It was even harder now to see him hurt physically too – and she had been the cause of it, indirectly.

She woke up every day with a sick feeling in her stomach. Sometimes, she woke up from nightmares that ended the same way each time – with Syaoran smiling wistfully at her.

"_Goodbye Sakura."_

Those two words were enough to have her weeping for hours together. Every single time she closed her eyes, his amber eyes, looking hurt and betrayed, haunted her dreams. And his lips spoke the same two words over and over again.

They weren't just nightmares. They weren't just a fragment of her imagination. They were a fragment of her memories: the utter truth of what had happened between the two of them. The tone of his voice as he had bid her farewell, the wistful smile on his face, the lost look in his eyes combined with the final realization that she was leaving him – they were all true.

Her mind painted those pictures so vividly in her dreams that they were etched in her mind forever. They had the same effect on her every time they occurred. It had been months now, since it happened, but the pain and guilt were as intense as ever.

They hadn't spoken since then. She knew he had gone back to Hong Kong to stay with his family and she had told him that she was leaving for Japan. He had probably assumed she was going to stay with her family – which was what she had originally planned. But she had changed her mind the last moment. She hadn't been ready to face her family yet. And so, there was only one other person she could turn to.

Tomoyo.

It suddenly dawned upon her that she hadn't been fair to Tomoyo at all. She had kept her in the dark all along, leaving her watching and feeling helpless while she struggled through her nightmares. Sakura could now understand the look of pain that passed through Tomoyo's face whenever she answered her questions in falsely-cheerful voice. And she could understand how helpless Tomoyo must have felt. She could empathise with her now that she was going through the exact same thing.

She had been so engrossed in her own thoughts – and the incessant beeping of the machine close to Syaoran made it hard for her to hear anything mild – that she completely missed the hoarse cough that erupted from the bandaged figure.

It was the movement that caught her attention. Sakura snapped her head back to Syaoran's body when he moved his legs ever so slightly. Then the fingers clutched the blanket spread over him. A few more coughs and then slowly, he opened his eyes. For a moment, his eyes seemed glazed but then he blinked several times and he slowly scanned the room until his eyes finally landed on Sakura, who stood stock-still, amazed that he had regained consciousness sooner than expected.

He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He cleared his throat and tried again but all that came out was a croak. He mouthed her name and she took a step forward, before shaking out of her reverie completely and throwing herself at his bedside. "Xiao Lang..." she sobbed next to him, kneeling on the floor, her hands clutching the bed sheet. "Oh Xiao Lang..you're awake..oh Kami-sama.."

She looked up at him, her face pink from weeping, and realised how weak he looked. He was looking at her worriedly, too frail to speak, but his intent was clear enough – he wanted her to stop crying. Sakura smiled through her tears and nodded, remembering how uncomfortable crying made him. She adjusted his pillows so that he could sit up – which he did with a lot of help from her – and offered him a glass of water. He drank it thirstily while she went around straightening his blanket, smoothing a non-existent wrinkle on the bed sheet, filling another glass with water – anything to calm her nerves that were extremely jumpy now that he was awake.

He watched her subtly in silence, knowing she would be uncomfortable if he openly stared at her. "Sakura..." he finally managed to choke out.

"Yes?" she was immediately at his side, fussing over him. "What is it? Should I call the doctor? Does your back hurt? Do you want to lie down? Would you like another glass of water? Maybe I should call the nur—" she stopped short when he put a finger to his lips.

He shook his head slowly, with effort. "It's nothing. I'm all right." His voice was a hoarse whisper.

She leaned forward, not wanting to miss a single word. "I-I think you should rest some more."

"I've rested enough." His voice was clearer.

She offered him another glass of water, while filling him on what the doctor had said. "The doctor said you need a lot of rest. You're out of danger now but the burns will take a long time to heal. I'm afraid you will have to stay in the hospital for at least another month. He prescribed a lot of ointments but they can be used only after these bandages are removed." She started to speak fast. "You had inhaled a lot of smoke but they saved you somehow. One of the firemen rescued you when he saw you trying to dodge the fire. You fainted right after he got you out. Takashi-kun brought you to the hospital and they had to move you into the ICU right away. You were there for most of the day with doctors tending to your burns. You were moved here only a couple of hours ago. We were all so worried. You were unconscious the whole time and the doctors wouldn't say anything to us at all! We thought you would—" here, her voice failed her but the tears streamed down her face again.

Syaoran reached for her hand that lay on his bed and squeezed it feebly. Sakura started at the gesture, staring at him with wide, green eyes while he tried to smile. Then, without warning, she burst into tears again, burying her face in his pillow and sinking to the ground. She caught his hand with both of hers. "Oh Xiao Lang..." she sobbed. "I was so worried. I thought I'd lost you. You have no idea how afraid I was. But I'm glad – so glad that you're all right."

He took in her worried form, her tear-stricken face, and her trembling hands. He longed to say something that would make the both of them feel better. He could sense the irony of the situation. He had been in the exact same position – although, not physically hurt – only a few months ago, trying to say something comforting to her.

"Sa-ku-ra." He croaked. "I'm fine now. Stop worrying."

She didn't reply but instead reached out and touched his forehead gently. "Xiao Lang, I'm not letting you out of my sight until you've fully recovered."

Syaoran, who had been occupied with her touch, stared at her confusedly. "W-What?"

"In spite of all that has happened between us—" her lips quivered. "—we're still best friends. And I'm not going anywhere while my best friend suffers. I hate this helpless feeling – like there's nothing I can do to help. But I want to help – so much. So I'm staying, Xiao Lang, until you're ready to be discharged."

"But—" she silenced him with a finger to _her_ lips.

"I'm not listening to anything you say, Xiao Lang." Her firmness amused him. Syaoran was surprised that he was able to smile without thinking about the past when the very cause of his despair for the past few months was standing right in front of him, holding his hands so tightly and seemingly afraid to let go.

"Oh ! You're awake!" The nurse came flying in through the door, immediately checking his pulse. She then rounded on Sakura. "You should have informed me, miss." Her accent was unmistakably British.

"I-I'm sorry." Sakura said hastily, her face red with shame. "I was just so glad he was—"

"All right, all right. Now wait outside, miss." The nurse shooed her away, and it was her turn to fuss over Syaoran. "Would you like some water, Mr. Li? I think the doctor might want to check up on you. Try to get some more rest, Mr. Li. Goodness me that girl got the pillows all messed up!"

"I'm comfortable this way, thank you very much." He said, glaring at her as fiercely as he could. She took the hint and left the room, casting him a last cautious glance.

Syaoran inhaled sharply, wincing as the action hurt him. His body ached and itched all over but he wisely kept his mouth shut about it to Sakura. He knew she would have gone into a panic attack with the way she was acting – all flustered and anxious.

'What the hell have I gotten myself into?' he thought grumpily.

He had just wanted to see her. It had been months and he couldn't bear the pain any longer. Endurance and defeat had waged a war inside him and in the end, defeat had won. He had set out to find her, to tell her that he couldn't take the shit any longer. He hadn't planned to persuade her to love him either, but he had just wanted to see her, one last time before resigning to the truth.

And apparently, the Powers That Be had decided that seeing her one last time wasn't going to be enough and had granted him a whole month – or maybe more – with her. Syaoran wasn't exactly sure whether he was happy or angry about that.

Of course, he was extremely happy to see her again but then, she'd have to leave him again and it would be harder to let her go then. Was he up for more pain?

'But it's Sakura.' Syaoran reminded himself. 'I would give up anything just to be with her – even if our days together were numbered.'

And in that, Syaoran knew the answer. Yes, he was up for the pain. A few days with her was more than what he had imagined. And that was enough. That had to be enough. So what if it was going to hurt later? He'd just have to live with.

'Hell yeah.'

* * *

Well I think that was one long chapter. Thank you for reading and reviews will be much appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

Can you believe the fact that I haven't updated in a YEAR? Because I definitely can. I'm that lousy. I'm so sorry and I don't think this chapter is going to be any consolation. . .because it doesn't really GET anywhere. I think I'm having a writer's block. But here goes. AND SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO REVIEWED MY STORY LAST TIME! You have no idea how happy that made me!

* * *

**Married?**

_by: xArcherx_

**Chapter Five**

"_Eriol. . ."_

It was that voice again. He turned sharply, scrutinizing his reflection in the mirror. The dark hair was his, the eyes looking tired but wary were his and the hands clenched into fists were all definitely his. But where was that voice coming from?

His mind counselled him to turn away, to dismiss that voice as a figment of his imagination and concentrate on other tasks at hand. He had planned to meet Syaoran but that had to be postponed when he had that conversation with Kaho. He was perturbed after the incident and his usually-imperturbable disposition was tipping precariously at the edge, threatening to expose his inner turmoil. He had to analyse the situation, _his _state of mind and—

"_Eriol. . ."_

His body froze while his mind worked frantically to pull him back to reality (yes, his mind believed the voice to be a trick played by his brain) but then, his conscience grabbed the reins and gently probed him into turning around. His mind fought to protect him – it fed him lies to keep him safe but his conscience always, _always_ went for the truth.

He faced the mirror with forced calmness, noting that he looked paler than usual. This was extraordinary. He never lost control over his actions and he had always been sangfroid, as long as he could remember. It was something he had been born with. Yet, this voice. . .

Preoccupied with his thoughts, he almost completely missed the movement in the mirror. His mind alert, he stared into the mirror with steady eyes and pursed lips, patiently waiting for it to occur again, berating himself for being so unobservant before. With his brain functioning normally again, he reached for the key that hung inconspicuously around his neck and with a muttered incantation, changed it into a staff. Gripping it with both hands, he sensed his own magical aura, and felt appeased, feeling more at home with his magic.

He waited as long as his patience assisted him but the mirror only showed him what he knew: his tense posture, the slight rising of his chest as he inhaled, and the white knuckles that were wrapped around the dazzling golden staff. He relaxed. There was nothing else to see. For now.

"Mirror." He muttered, his eyes still raking his reflection for any kind of abnormality. The familiar but mournful face appeared in front of him, her hair in slight disarray and the tell-tale marks of tears on her cheeks. She mutely awaited his orders, after bowing in respect. "I would like you to take my form."

She obeyed without question, dipping her head and with a flash of light, another Eriol stood staring at him, his face uncharacteristically despondent. "Take my place," he instructed, stepping away from his former position in front of the mirror to make room for his faux-twin. "Please stay here as still as you possibly can and observe your reflection in the mirror. Alert me if anything anomalous takes place." She wouldn't return his parting smile.

Outside, Spinel and Ruby were deeply involved in a game of chess. Eriol watched as Ruby's elegant fingers curled around the bishop and persuaded him to challenge the mighty but defenceless king, "Check." The smirk was prominent.

Spinel snorted and gave his opponent a look that was clearly condescending and stirred the queen. "Check mate," he said with a finality Ruby could not question. His eyes widened for a fraction in surprise but then acknowledgement took precedence, "Eriol-sama." He dipped his head.

Offering both of them an easy smile ("But-but. . .I don't _understand_! Is that even a—oh Eriol-sama. . ." Ruby Moon looked suitably embarrassed), he crossed to the kitchen, "What would you like for dinner? It's my turn to cook." He called out cheerfully, donning the pink apron Ruby Moon had picked out for him in the store.

"How about. . .okonomiyaki!" Ruby Moon cried out eagerly, earning another typical irritable look from Spinel Sun, which she seemed to either ignore or miss.

"Okonomiyaki, it is." Eriol said, chuckling. The quotidian course of life certainly improved his mood.

* * *

The pitter-patter of the rain against the window panes made it impossible for him to sleep. He tossed around in the bed as quietly as possible so not to attract the attention of the nurse outside. The last thing he needed was a doctor rushing into the room, accompanied by a nurse (who narrated what she had 'seen') and demanding to take his pulse with a tearful Sakura in the background struggling hard not to make a scene. Syaoran had had enough of those.

He finally decided on a comfortable spot in the pillow and was just about to fall asleep again when the door swung open with immense force (he had to suppress the urge to yell, "What now?") and he found himself staring exasperatedly at a very furious Meiling and his tired-looking Mother. He wondered at his ignorance. He should have been expecting a visit but after meeting Sakura, he had completely forgotten. . .

Meiling opened her mouth to say something – something extremely reproachful, no doubt – when Yelan stepped in front of her, her brown eyes never straying away from his own. Meiling, Syaoran noticed, seemed to have come to a tacit agreement with his Mother and left the room quietly, uncharacteristically.

"Xiao Lang. . ." he was startled by the way she sounded. For the first time in his life, Syaoran saw his prudent Mother lose her facade. "Oh. . .I'm so glad you are out of danger. . ."

"Mother. . ." his tone was wondering. He was still stunned. Then, he came to his senses. "I owe you an explanation—"

She shook her head, promptly cutting him off, "Please. . .do not say anything. You don't have to explain or prove anything to me. . .I'm just happy you are all right." She took a seat next to him, her face still unnervingly gentle and caring. "Xiao Lang, there is something _I _have to tell you," she took a deep breath and took his hand in her own.

"I have always been a little harsh towards you even when you were just a child. You remind me so much of your Father that I just. . ." she shook her head, her eyes glistening. "I wanted your Father to be proud of you—I wanted him to know that I had raised you well. . .like he would have." Syaoran gazed at her, intent to hear her next words and wondering where this was going. "But what I overlooked was that he would have also wanted you to have had a happy childhood—"

"My childhood _was _happy one," He said firmly, cutting her off. "Mother, I don't blame you for anything that has happened."

"I know you do not. Listen to me, Xiao Lang." She looked so vulnerable that he remained quiet, letting her speak. "When I said a happy childhood, I meant a normal one. . .I did not treat you the way children are supposed to be treated. And I never treated you to an enjoyable day. . .I never took you to the park or the beach. . .I never took you anywhere you would have had a nice time." The tears were threatening to fall. "I always trained you too hard, because I wanted you to be perfect. . .because you were the son your Father never had the chance to see. He died in a car crash on his way to the hospital where I was having you. So I promised myself and him, that I would raise you to be a respectable man. . .but what I did not realise then was that perfection is not human and now I know, that all I want you to be is a good human. . .not perfect."

Syaoran was tongue-tied. He wanted to comfort her and tell her that he was happy, but that did not seemed to be what she was looking for. It was almost as if she was waiting for some sign from his Father, as though to tell her she had done the right thing. "Your Father was a cheerful man. . .he never took work too seriously and he was always looking forward to enjoying himself. He used to take your sisters everywhere he possibly could. . .and that is where I failed, Xiao Lang." The tears were flowing freely. "I brought you up to be serious and reserved – just like I am. You were brought up lacking everything a child should have. . .tenderness, care, attention and. . ._fun_." her voice cracked, as she buried her face in his hand and sobbed quietly. "I'm sorry. . .so, so sorry. . .Xiao Lang. . ."

Syaoran stared at her wrecked form, processing all that she had just told him. He still could not understand why she was telling him all of this although he had an inkling that the fire had something to do with it. But Yelan was a practical woman and did not waste time crying over nothing. In fact, this was the first time he had even seen her cry. He tugged at his hand caged in her own, "Mother. . ._Mother. . ._" he grew impatient and tugged harder, until finally she released it and looked up at him with tear-stained eyes. "I'm sorry. . .I'm being very sentimental here—"

"_Stop apologising._" He said firmly, fixing her with an intense gaze. She looked taken aback by his resolute demeanour. "You have to understand that there is nothing you should apologise for. I don't blame you for anything—yes, I know you know I don't," he said, when he saw her open her mouth. "And I'm sure that. . .that. . ." it was his turn to take a deep breath. "I'm certain that. . .Father, is pleased with how hard you have tried to be a good parent."

She was still looking at him like he was from a different planet and he was beginning to get uncomfortable with the exchange of such strong, emotional words. He looked away and waited impatiently for her to recover. She did, soon enough, and offered him a dazzling smile. "I'm so glad that you think so, Xiao Lang."

He nodded somewhat awkwardly, now acutely aware that his Mother was acting very unusual. The smile gradually disappeared but the tenderness in her eyes did not. She took his hand again and he braced himself for another outburst of sentiments. But she remained composed, "There is something I have to ask you. . .Xiao Lang, are you happy?"

The question threw him off-guard. He stared at her with a stunned expression on his face while simultaneously trying to phrase an answer. Was he happy? Was he satisfied with how his life was going? Well, that directly pointed towards Sakura. "I'm-I'm happier than I have been in months."

He knew from the look on her face that that did not answer her question entirely but she did not ask him to elaborate and he was extremely relieved. She stood up, her former demeanour of authority restored and she made for the door. Before she opened it however, she looked at him and said tenderly, "Xiao Lang, whatever happens, do not let go of love. . .it is the only thing that can truly make you happy." Then the door opened and she was gone.

He was left haunted by her last words.

* * *

Tomoyo stirred the cup of coffee while trying to stifle a yawn. The hotel room her Mother was staying in had a very uncomfortable bed. She had slept fitfully the whole of last night. She took a sip of the coffee and immediately restrained herself from choking. Hospital coffee was not a wise option. Sighing, she stared down at the murky liquid, vacillating between throwing the cup into the nearest bin and gulping it down. She needed the energy to pull her through another day.

As she turned around in her seat, she spotted Meiling sitting a few seats away from her, seemingly in deep thought. Tomoyo had known her since elementary school, when she had accompanied Syaoran to Japan and knew that the Chinese girl was boisterous and used to be amusingly possessive of her cousin. Meiling had not cared to make friends then but Sakura had tried anyway and through her, Tomoyo had made another acquaintance.

It was unnatural to see Meiling so quiet and unobtrusive. Perhaps she was more than a little shaken after hearing about Syaoran's encounter with the fire. Nevertheless, Tomoyo had imagined her to have caused quite a scene. She had rushed to Syaoran's room as soon as the nurse told her where he was being kept, followed closely by Yelan Li, but she had retreated very soon and had failed to show any kind of sentiment after that. Tomoyo had almost thought she had left the hospital. She wondered if she would be intruding if she were to make her presence known. . .but still, it was rude not to acknowledge someone once you have spotted them.

As if she had heard her musings, Meiling broke free from her thoughts and stared across the hallway to where Tomoyo was sitting. The latter immediately gave her a gentle smile, "How are you, Meiling-san?"

"Daidouji." Meiling nodded in acknowledgement. For an energetic girl, she had always kept her relationships with her fellow classmates distant. "I'm fine, thank you."

Her tone was grave. Tomoyo sensed she was distracted and stood up, "Li-kun will be fine, Meiling-san, don't worry." She smiled reassuringly and passed her to the cafeteria, hoping the coffee was the cafeteria's only drawback.

"Daidouji. . ." Behind her, Meiling called out hesitantly. She stopped in her tracks and turned around, waiting for her to continue. "Did. . .did Sakura—" Tomoyo allowed herself a small smile at the intimate use of Sakura's name. Only Sakura would be able to break through to anyone. "—mention anything ab-about. . ." Meiling let out a small curse. "about her and. . .Syaoran to you?"

Finally, she had some sort of an idea about what was running through Meiling's mind. "I'm afraid not," she shook her head apologetically. "Sakura-chan has been very busy and preoccupied since the. . .fire."

"She was living with you before the fire, wasn't she?" She said sharply and – Tomoyo thought – suspiciously. That was more like the Meiling she knew. "She didn't say _anything _then?"

"No, nothing." Tomoyo said politely. She wasn't about to divulge anything about how Sakura had been acting in the past months to anyone. Tomoyo didn't think publicising Sakura's misery was going to help anyone.

Meiling seemed to sense that she had touched a nerve and she lowered her eyes somewhat apologetically, "I'm-I'm not doubting you. . .or anything like that. It's just. . ." she trailed off, staring at her feet. Tomoyo knew the conversation was not over and took a seat next to the other girl. That seemed to have been the encouragement Meiling had been waiting for. "Syao-Syaoran has been acting very strange lately. . .I mean, I was surprised to see him in Hong Kong when I came to visit Auntie. . .I wasn't really expecting him to be there." Here she looked sheepish – almost as if she had only decided to visit her aunt because she knew he wouldn't be there. "And that too, alone! I was so surprised to see that Sakura wasn't visiting too. . ." Tomoyo nodded, empathising with her. It certainly seemed like she was recovering from her previous dejected mood.

"Do you. . .do you think they had some sort of an argument?" Meiling asked suddenly, her eyes wide.

"It is possible," Tomoyo said quietly, not wanting to lie to her.

"Oh. . .but that's _terrible_!" Meiling spoke almost as if to herself. "Poor Syaoran. . ."

"Well whatever has happened between them, they seemed to have mutually put it aside now that there are more pressing matters to deal with. . .such as Li-kun's health," Tomoyo patted the other girl's shoulder. "There is nothing to worry about, Meiling-san. . .at least for now,"

"I'm not _worried_," The Chinese girl mumbled somewhat defensively but Tomoyo couldn't help but think that perhaps she was telling the truth. "I'm just. . ." she gave Tomoyo a side-long glance and shook her head.

It was her turn to eye her thoughtfully. Then, comprehension dawned inside of her. But Tomoyo had mastered the art of keeping her feelings hidden, which was not quite a feat when you have Sakura for a friend and she squeezed Meiling's hand and said in a gentle voice, "Meiling-san, it's OK to feel a little confused right now. . .we are all baffled – what with the fire and everything. . .it's been hard on all of us. . .so don't be too hard on yourself, OK?"

Meiling returned the squeeze and nodded, her crimson eyes brighter than before and a small smile lightening her features. "Thank you, Daidouji."

"Please call me Tomoyo," She smiled. "We are a little closer now, aren't we? And Meiling-san knows, right? That if she's feeling a little bad, she can always talk to me?"

The bright eyes looked surprised, "That's. . .that's very nice of you."

"It's the least I can do." Tomoyo stood up; she really needed breakfast. "I'm always there for you, Meiling-san, if you need anything."

She smiled politely again before turning away but the Chinese girl wasn't looking at her. It looked like she had gone back to her previous mood. Trying not to dwell on this, Tomoyo took a few steps towards the cafeteria, when—

"I'm still in love with Syaoran."

* * *

"Kaho-chan. . .here. You look a little tired." Kaho stared at the proffered cup of hot chocolate and then stared up at the face looking down at her worriedly. Kaho smiled. Leave it to Sakura to always think of others.

"Thank you, Sakura." The warm fluid did help to relieve some of the stress she was feeling. Next to her, Sakura took a seat and watched her with a small smile. "It's unusual to see Kaho-chan worried."

Kaho laughed away the comment and took another sip of the steaming hot chocolate, "The fire really has tired us all out. Speaking of which. . ." She raised her eyebrows at the younger girl. "it's a surprise to see you here. From the determined look on your face the last time I saw you, I assumed you had decided to stay in Li-san's room forever."

Sakura blushed. "Xiao Lang threatened to throw me out himself when I refused to have breakfast." She looked at her shoes guiltily.

"I can see what he means. Sakura-chan has been tiring herself out ever since Li-san was admitted. You should take care of yourself too." Kaho said gently as she watched a sad look pass through Sakura's face.

"I just hate leaving him alone for even a minute, Kaho-chan." She said in a tiny voice. "If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be here. . .it's only fair that I take proper care of him."

"Sakura shouldn't think such things. Don't blame yourself for what has happened. Everything happens for a reason, Sakura-chan." She smiled encouragingly. "There is no question of what's fair and what isn't."

"I-I suppose. . .Oh Kaho-chan. . .things have been so horrible between us!" Sakura buried her face in her hands at memory of what had happened a few months ago. Kaho watched her impassively as she waited for her to recover. "I couldn't eat or sleep for days just thinking about it! And Tomoyo. . .Oh Kami-sama. . .I have been so unfair to Tomoyo-chan. . .I've kept her in the dark about _everything_ that's happened despite the fact that she was so willing to help me. . .I know how bad _she _must have felt to have to watch me so quiet and dull every day. . ."

"Sakura-chan. . ." Kaho sighed. She turned to Sakura as she looked up with grieving eyes. "Sometimes, in life, it is difficult to open up to anyone about how you're feeling. . .the pain might be too deep or it might be too soon for you to be able to step up and talk about your feelings. I'm certain that Tomoyo understood that. Why else would she be so patient? She's willing to wait for you to tell her what's wrong. . .she doesn't want to force you to express yourself. That's what friends are for. . .for you to be able talk to them when you're ready." She stroked her light brown hair. "When you know you're ready, Sakura, tell Tomoyo what you're feeling. I'm sure she'll be able to help you."

"You don't think that-that Tomoyo-chan is. . ._mad _at me?" Sakura whispered doubtfully.

Kaho shook her head gently, "Of course not. She's worried about you, Sakura, that's all. She's not angry at you. I'm sure she's willing to wait."

"Kaho-chan. . ." Sakura began again, rubbing her forehead and not quite meeting her eyes. ". . .about Xiao Lang and me. . .I think we're—that we're. . ." Her eyes filled with tears and she sobbed. Kaho pulled her towards her and hugged her, stroking her hair understandingly.

"Love and life are different, Sakura. . ." she said soothingly. "It is up to each one of us to learn to love and live our life to the fullest at the same time. . .love is beautiful but life. . ." she lifted Sakura's chin and gazed into her green eyes. ". . .is reality."

"Life is so hurtful. . .I never thought I would be hurting the people I care about." The tears would not stop. Kaho looked down at her thoughtfully and then offered her a smile. "Pain is a part of life, Sakura-chan. We all go through it. Pain is experience in its most profound form. Life cannot go on without it and love without pain does not exist."

Sakura wiped her eyes with her wrists. She returned Kaho's smile. "Thank you, Kaho-chan. I feel much better now." She gave the older woman a quick, grateful hug and stood up apologetically, "I should get back to Xiao Lang. . ."

"Of course." Kaho smiled. She watched the girl's retreating back, lost in thought. 'So much for all that advice. . .where do I stand when it comes to love?' A picture of Eriol's grave face flashed in her mind's eye. Her hands tightened around the now-empty cup of hot chocolate.

"_Kaho. . .perhaps it is time we parted ways," His face was grave but open. He was looking straight at her and she could tell he meant what he said. She clutched the purse on her lap. "I realised that it is not fair to you if I kept you from pursuing what you want to. . ."_

_She looked up at this, confusion clouding her mind but her face was impassive as always. Pursuing what she wanted? "Could you perhaps. . .be more specific?"_

_He turned towards her sharply and she thought she saw annoyance flash across his eyes. Kaho sensed something was wrong. . .Eriol was being uncharacteristic. He rarely got irritated and it was even rarer for him to show the irritation. This was the first time she had seen him so irked. Lowering her gaze once more, she composed herself, aware that he was not looking at her. When she was certain she looked normal, she looked up at him and smiled, "I understand, Eriol."_

_Next it was relief that consumed his lovely blue eyes. He smiled hugely, "I knew you would, Kaho." He looked at his watch and then said, "There is something I have to attend to immediately. . .I will be back in three hours' time. If you could. . ." He looked at her meaningfully. She nodded and he left, satisfied._

_Two hours later, her belongings were all neatly packed and she surveyed the house thoughtfully. Somehow she had not fancied the idea of employing magic to do the packing. She wanted to do it on her own so that it would be prove to be a distraction. _

_When Eriol staggered into the house an hour later, there was a note from Kaho thanking him for everything. He crumpled to the floor, for the first time unsure of what he had done._

* * *

Yes, it's a short chapter and I'm fairly certain that this is how long my chapters are going to be. Is it too much to ask for reviews though? After what I've done? But please do review if you can and if you have any comments. Thank you for reading.

**Notes on some terms:**

_**Okonomiyaki: **__Okonomiyaki is a sort of Japanese style pancake filled with various kinds of meat and vegetables._


	7. Chapter 7

ANOTHER year to update. I can not believe myself! I'm so sorry! I will try to be more regular but I've been so busy with school lately. . .well, that's no excuse. Again, I'm deeply sorry. Thanks to all those who reviewed my story last time! Here's chapter six.

* * *

**Married?**

_by xArcherx_

**Chapter Six**

Sonomi watched as Sakura adjusted yet another pillow in Syaoran's room. She sighed inaudibly and walked away from the door; it was not right to interfere in a couple's private moment although Sonomi desperately wished to find out and understand what was going on. She did not take well to being kept in the dark and Sakura's unhappiness was rather obvious.

But deep down, she knew there was nothing she could do to help alleviate the situation, whatever it was. Sakura and Syaoran were facing problems in their marriage—this, in itself, was not startling because all married couples bicker. But the fact that the problem was huge enough for them to take time apart from each other and that too, just months after their wedding, seemed like something to worry about obsessively.

Sonomi's shoulders stiffened the way they always did whenever _he _was near. She hated him, she still held that belief firmly, and the hatred was intense enough for her body to sense his presence and react accordingly.

If Fujitaka noticed the change in Sonomi's demeanour, he did not show it. Instead he smiled pleasantly and took a seat beside her. "Sonomi-san seems worn out."

"It'd be strange not to be." She replied brusquely. "The situation calls for it."

The smile dimmed and she heard him sigh uncharacteristically. "But it is of no use, is it, to sit here in regret? But still the feeling lingers and I can't entirely will it away. . ." Fujitaka massaged his temples while Sonomi watched him discreetly. "This a difficult time. Especially for Sakura-chan."

She grunted in response, fighting the urge to ask him if he had any idea what was going on with his daughter's life. He seemed to understand her state of mind, for he said quietly, "I fervently hope Sakura-chan finds the solution to her problem."

"She is a child." Sonomi snapped. "You can't expect her to figure this out on her own."

His reply was late in coming. "Sonomi-san fails to remember that experience is truly the best teacher."

She turned to him fully, her face contorted in rage, "So you're going to sit and watch what happens without helping her? She needs to be guided for god's sake! What kind of a person—"

"But tell me Sonomi-san," he cut her off gently, looking straight into her eyes. "will my interfering change anything at all? If anything, I have a feeling it would only make it worse."

She was annoyed at being cut off but she sensed the truth in his words. The helplessness that she had felt earlier returned. "She is but a child," she repeated obstinately.

"I trust Sakura-chan." He said simply. "She not only has Nadeshiko's innocence but she also her honesty. And I believe that she would not lie where it concerns her feelings."

'For Syaoran.' Sonomi added mentally. She stood up abruptly, the mention of her cousin's name-that too, from _him_-proving to be too much for her. She cast him a sidelong glance and then walked away stubbornly but deep inside she knew he had won. And he was aware of it.

"Just this once Fujitaka," she murmured to herself. "Just this once, I'll let you win."

And as Sonomi rounded the corner and headed to the hospital's entrance-she really did need to get back to the hotel and take a nap-she stilled. There was no doubting the hair colour or the pale face.

Eriol Hiiragizawa swept past her without a glance.

* * *

"_I'm still in love with Syaoran."_

For a second, Tomoyo could only stare at the girl.

Her head bent, her hands intertwined and her form withdrawn, Meiling looked uncharacteristically vulnerable. Tomoyo's heart went out to the girl and despite other worries – Did Syaoran know? Has she told him already? Does she have anything to do with their separation? – she embraced her wordlessly.

That seemed like enough invitation for Meiling, who stiffening momentarily at the contact, threw her arms around Tomoyo and promptly began to cry. Tomoyo made soothing noises and patted her back while distantly wondering how she always found herself in this position.

Tomoyo had not been blind to Meiling's feelings. Even when they had been in elementary school, the Chinese girl had been possessive about her cousin, calling herself his 'fiancée' and casting daggers at any girl who dared to acquaint herself with Syaoran. Meiling's aggressive personality combined with Syaoran's own grumpy countenance had been enough to scare away any girl.

In middle school, Syaoran's feelings for Sakura had changed drastically – from one-sided hatred, it went to a silly crush – and Tomoyo had noted the change with amusement. He would blush every time Sakura was near or whenever she threw her arms around him in delight. He smiled more often but remained as shy as ever.

Meiling, at that time, had disappeared to Hong Kong and when she had returned to Japan, to pay a short visit, she had not been oblivious to Syaoran's feelings. Tomoyo distinctly remembered finding a tearful Meiling at her doorstep one evening and inviting her inside understandingly. Being perceptive even at the age of thirteen, she had told Meiling that she would always be there to comfort the girl if need be, knowing full well that Meiling would confront Syaoran about his feelings for Sakura.

She had not been mistaken. Meiling had spent the night at her house.

In high school, everyone could see Syaoran was in love with Sakura – everyone except Sakura who remained blissfully ignorant of her best friend's growing feelings. Meiling had done the rest of her schooling in Hong Kong, preferring to stay away from her cousin in order to master her own feelings.

Their wedding had taken place right after high school graduation. Meiling did not attend the ceremony.

Tomoyo chided herself for not expecting this. Meiling's absence at the wedding had certainly told her that the girl still had not moved on from Syaoran but temporarily sympathising her, she had completely forgotten about the issue – especially when Syaoran and Sakura's separation had loomed over with a more pressing urgency.

"I'd always known. . ." She presently began, her head now cradled in Tomoyo's lap. "He-he had never returned my feelings. But I learnt to live with that be-because he didn't fall for anyone else either. . ." Here the tears started afresh. "And as long as there was no one else in the picture, I could pretend he was mine and always would be."

Tomoyo stroked her dark hair gently, listening intently and letting her go on uninterrupted. "Then everything changed." Hiccups. One. Two. "He started to fall in love with Sakura. . .the very girl he had sworn he could not stand and—and although I wanted to hate her very much for what's happened. . ." Another hiccup. "Although she is the reason he is in pain, I can't hate her." Her words were a mere whisper. "I can't hate Sakura. Do you know why?" She lifted her head and looked up at Tomoyo who stopped stroking her hair and waited. "Because she is the sweetest, kindest person I know. It's impossible for me to hate her even though I want to _so _much."

Her head went back to Tomoyo's lap. "Even in middle school, when I first found out about Syaoran's crush, I held her in contempt for not seeing what was right in front of her. But I didn't hate her because none of this is her fault." Tomoyo was touched by her practicality.

"Meiling-chan is very strong to have handled this on her own for so long."

She let out a bitter laugh. "What good did it do to be strong? I'm still where I was ten years ago, still hoping that he'd see me the way I see him even though he's _married_." She shuddered in disgust. "He's married but I still want him!"

"Meiling-chan. . ." Tomoyo sighed. "You're being too hard on yourself. You can't help how you feel."

"But tell me, Tomoyo, tell me what kind of a person would stick to the same man for ten years and watch him fall in love with another girl, watch him laugh and smile in her company, watch him watch her like she was his everything?" Tomoyo remained silent. "Watch him even in her dreams, see him even when he wasn't with her and yearn for him so desperately?"

"But you never, ever tried to take him away from Sakura. You never stooped that low, Meiling-chan, and that makes you a good person."

She was silent. Then, "He was happy. With her, he was happy and no matter how much I wanted to be in her place, I could not see him unhappy. Seeing him unhappy with me is ten times worse than watching him with her. . .because then, I would truly see how much he _doesn't_ want me." She took a deep breath. "It's not because I'm a good person that I didn't steal him away, Tomoyo. It's because I was too afraid to see the unhappiness in his eyes if I did."

It was Tomoyo's turn to remain silent. "When I came to visit Auntie in Hong Kong, I was shocked to see Syaoran there." Meiling began again quietly. The tears had stopped. "Auntie had not informed me of his presence and when I saw that he was there without Sakura, I was confused." Tomoyo listened much more intently now. "I asked Auntie about it but she only gave me a vague reply and I took it as my cue to drop the subject. Auntie was very intent on making me. . .reacquaint myself with Syaoran. I did not like the way she ordered me to inform him when dinner was ready or when she needed to speak with him. That was Wei's business, not mine. But I never refused. Do you know why?" The tears were threatening to fall again. "Because a part of me-a huge part of me- still wanted to see him and be in his presence. Sakura's absence worked in my favour because I could continue watching him without being caught. Then again, Sakura's as blind as a bat when it comes to these things." Here, Meiling snorted but Tomoyo was aware of the pain in her eyes.

"Meiling-chan knew then." Tomoyo said quietly. "That there was something wrong."

"Of course I did." Now that Meiling had admitted the truth to someone else, she was determined to reveal everything. "I could see that Syaoran was in pain. It was so obvious. . .only one person could hurt him like that." Her voice came down to a whisper. "What's even worse is that while I was genuinely concerned about Syaoran, there was also a part of me that thrilled at the thought of Syaoran and Sakura breaking up." The tears started to fall. "Am I still a good person? Am I still human?"

"Yes." Tomoyo said firmly. "Meiling-chan, putting yourself down won't change anything. I admire you for being able to face your feelings and admit to them. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to admit to yourself that you still love Li-kun. . .but to admit it to someone else. . ." Tomoyo shook her head. "That must be a million times more difficult. Just the fact that you can be so honest with yourself shows that you're a good person, Meiling-chan."

The Chinese girl smiled through her tears and looked away, "I don't know what I should do. . .how do I forget Syaoran?"

Tomoyo could only sit there wordlessly.

* * *

Kaho was on the verge of exiting the hospital when she heard her name being called and heavy footfalls behind her. Sonomi was breathless by the time she caught up with her colleague and beckoned her inside one of the hospital rooms, not trusting herself to speak.

"He's here." Sonomi whispered the moment Kaho was inside, who, dryly noting the similarity of the situation, waited for Sonomi to elaborate. "That man that I was talking to you about; he's here, in the hospital." She looked strangely distressed as she looked at Kaho helplessly. "What do we do?"

Kaho feigned confusion and ignorance. "Sonomi, I have not slightest idea as to why this man is of consequence at all."

"His name is Eriol Hiiragizawa." She replied, sidestepping the underlying question - _what did Sonomi have to do with said man? _- in Kaho's words. "He is half-British, half-Japanese; lived the first ten years of his life in London and finished the rest of his schooling in Japan, making short trips to London now and then."

"Sonomi. . ." Kaho began knowingly. "I didn't need to know any of that."

The older woman stared at her pensively for a moment and then sighed, resigned. "He was present at Syaoran and Sakura's wedding."

He had been; Kaho had avoided him the entire wedding. It had not been difficult; he had left pretty early, despite Sakura's protests. She now pretended to be less confused when she spoke, "I see. Now I understand why he'd looked slightly familiar when you showed me his picture. But what of it, Sonomi?"

"Sakura seemed to know him well. . ." Sonomi replied, with a sidelong glance. "Syaoran, I observed, seemed to tolerate him for Sakura's sake." Kaho could see where this was going but she nevertheless waited for Sonomi to confirm her suspicion. "Do you think, perhaps. . .his acquaintance with Sakura has anything to do with-with the problems in their marriage?"

The idea, of course, was preposterous. But Kaho, being careful not to sound too sure of herself while simultaneously ridding Sonomi of the thought, only said, "Do you really believe that Sakura-chan is the kind of person to betray the people she loves?"

Sonomi looked embarrassed, "Well, no, not really, but-"

"Then let go of the thought, Sonomi."

Another sigh. "I'm sorry, you're right. Sakura isn't the kind of person to cheat on her husband. I just. . .wish I knew what is going on."

"It's on all of our minds." Kaho said empathetically. "We'll just have to wait and see where it takes us."

And although Sonomi nodded understandingly and looked a lot more relieved, Kaho couldn't help thinking that this was not her only reason for pursuing Eriol. When Sonomi opened her mouth again, she was proved right.

* * *

Syaoran shifted uncomfortably in his bed. The burns hurt him more than he let on. Recently, they'd begun to itch and he had been strongly advised against scratching his wounds, so he was pretty much in hell.

"Not that I was having the time of my life before this shit." He muttered to himself and sighed. He was exhausted; very exhausted. Putting up a tough facade in front of Sakura had not been easy. He'd had to act like nothing hurt; like it was no big deal because if he didn't, he was certain she would start crying and go on and on about how it was all her fault.

And if Syaoran was being completely honest with himself, he was tired of it. He was starting to wish she'd leave him alone more often because – and he was vexed at himself for feeling this way – she was starting to get. . ._annoying_.

The revelation startled Syaoran. 'No. Wait. I did not just think that.' He frowned. 'Where did it come from? I didn't mean annoying; I meant that it was cute that she was so worried. Yeah. Cute.'

Another sigh escaped him. A few days ago, he had been so sure of what he felt. Now, he did not understand anything that he was feeling. What was wrong with him? How could a few days change the way he felt? If that's all it took for a heart to change, why had he been nursing a broken heart for two full months? He tried to clear his head. It was getting too confusing. He should just sleep it off.

He had been trying to accomplish that very feat when a deep, cheery voice said, "Looks like you're in a lot more pain that you'd like to admit, Syaoran-kun."

It would be an understatement to say that he was startled out of his wits. Eriol Hiiragizawa had that effect on him. Always catching him unawares; always having impeccable timing; always so suspicious. Syaoran didn't bother to be polite, "I'm trying to _sleep_, Hiiragizawa."

"I'm glad to see that you're all right." Eriol smiled sincerely but Syaoran thought he detected a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Now that you've _seen _me, lea—"

"How is Sakura-chan?"

Syaoran bristled at the endearment. He had never been comfortable with Eriol and Sakura's friendship, always having had a sneaking suspicion that the former has feelings for Sakura. The insecurity had somewhat dwindled when the wedding had taken place but he still had an uneasy feeling about the bespectacled man. "She's fine." He breathed in deeply. "Leave, Hiiragizawa." And with that, Syaoran closed his eyes.

But Eriol took that as an invitation to sit down in one of the chairs next to the bed. He laced his fingers together and leaned forward, his posture, business-like. The smile faded. "I came here to talk about Sakura-chan."

The words had the intended effect. His eyes snapped open and he looked at the Eriol menacingly, "_What _about her?"

In any other situation, Eriol would have smiled away the rudeness with a teasing remark. But he looked straight into Syaoran's eyes with a graveness that unsettled him more than usual. The voice dropped. "It's her powers, Syaoran."

He could not help the confusion that clouded his face. Or the annoyance. He wished he would get on with the problem already. "Well, what about them?"

"I can't keep the Cards under my control for long. I'm not their rightful Master."

Eriol watched Syaoran stare at him uncomprehendingly. He nodded knowingly, "I thought so." He scrutinized Syaoran's face. "You had no idea, did you? You really did not notice?"

"No idea about _what_?" Syaoran almost growled. "What the hell are you talking about? What about the Cards? I swear, Hiiragizawa, if this is some sort of stupid jo—"

"The Cards," Eriol interrupted, "are not under Sakura's control. I am their current owner."

A long pause. Then, "What shit is this?" Syaoran was incredulous. "Sakura is their Mistress. They're called Sakura Cards for a reason."

"I am well aware of the reason. However, the Cards came under my control. . ." Eriol studied Syaoran's face as he spoke the next words. ". . .a little over two months ago."

"Two months—" Syaoran was abruptly cut off as realisation dawned upon him. Two months ago. It had been two months ago that they had separated. He looked up at Eriol dazedly and for once forgot to be rude, "What exactly happened?"

Eriol took a deep breath and chose his words carefully, "I am not entirely sure. I came home one evening to find the Sakura Cards, bound in their Book, at my doorstep. Literally." He adjusted his glasses. "I understood that something had gone wrong but I took them under my control immediately. I summoned them to see if they had any piece of information to provide. But all they could do was look at me in distress." He sighed, recollecting the look on their faces. Syaoran listened in disbelief. How could he have not known this? "I met up with Sakura-chan one day for lunch, to understand more about the situation."

"What did she say? When was this?" Syaoran's tone was urgent.

"This was a couple weeks after the transfer. Sakura-chan was. . .dazed." Eriol struggled to find the right word to describe her. "She was hardly like her usual self. I asked her, as gently as I could, if anything was bothering her. She had no answer." Here, he looked at Syaoran piercingly but the latter looked away. "I informed her of the situation. She seemed. . .surprised. She had not realised that her powers were no longer with her." He leaned back in his chair, his voice, a mere murmur. "And then, she had a request; she wanted me to take care of the Cards for a while. I readily agreed."

Syaoran stared at his hands. "I didn't know. . .I never noticed."

"Syaoran." Eriol's voice was gentle. "I understand there's been some sort of a misund—"

"We're just taking some time apart." Syaoran cut in sharply. There was no misunderstanding. One thing Sakura couldn't do was lie about her feelings.

Another piercing stare. But this time Syaoran looked right back at him, his stare defiant. Eriol gave in, "I see."

"So what's the deal now? Are you giving back the Cards to her?"

"That's precisely what I wanted to tell you: I can't keep the Cards much longer. My hold on them is weakening. Soon, they'd slip out of my control and disappear completely."

Syaoran looked at him in alarm, "Give them back to Sakura then!"

Eriol looked at him dryly and Syaoran was left contemplating the idiocy of his suggestion. "I want to," Eriol explained, with exaggerated patience. "But Sakura-chan seems incapable of shouldering the responsibility at present. And I think, Syaoran, that you know why."

When he refused to respond, Eriol stood up, "I'd rather Sakura-chan didn't know about our little chat. It would only make things worse. " He stared out the window as the vehicles zoomed past, "She isn't happy. I can see it in her eyes."

He looked back at Syaoran as if to say, 'Do something, Syaoran, before it's too late.'

'What?' Syaoran wanted to yell in frustration. 'What do you want me to do? I'm giving her what she wants!'

But Sakura chose that precise moment to enter the room. Syaoran watched as she stopped short in surprise. He watched her eyes turn brighter as a genuine smile lit up her face, "Eriol-kun!"

"It's been a while, eh, Sakura-chan?" Eriol smiled at her pleasantly as they hugged each other affectionately.

"Yes. It's been so long since I saw you!" Syaoran felt the old resentment rise but, for once, he paid no heed to it. Instead, he observed Sakura as she pulled away from the embrace and giggled. When was the last time he had heard her giggle like that? Then her eyes landed on him and Syaoran watched, as the brightness faded away, and her lips turned down. There was something inherently wrong in the way she looked at him. It was tinged with sadness. How could he have not noticed the difference? And when she spoke, her voice was gentle and low, quite unlike the chirpy one he'd just heard, "How are you today, Xiao Lang?"

Syaoran was in no state to answer her and Eriol deftly stepped in, smiling good-naturedly and distracting her with a teasing comment about him while he played over and over again the way she said his name; like she was afraid to hurt it; tentative and scared.

When had she become like this?

The Sakura he had known was full of life. Always cheerful, never losing hope and determined to give her best to everything. The woman standing before him was completely different. She looked exhausted and dejected; almost lifeless. He detected, with no small amount of surprise, dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was pasty, her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and her eyes—her eyes—

They were red.

Syaoran sucked in a breath in shock. What had happened to her? What had happened to _him_? He had been so damned self-absorbed that he had completely missed out on the change. What sort of messed up husband—no, best friend, he reminded himself – was he? How could have _Sakura _turned into this?

His shock was so intense that even Eriol's powers of distraction were unable to keep Sakura engaged. She presently looked at him worriedly, "Xiao Lang, is something wrong?"

Eriol made his exit then, but not before shooting Syaoran a knowing look. When Sakura continued to look at him in concern, he held out his hand, "Come here."

She did so, albeit in bewilderment, and took his hand in hers. He squeezed it gently and looked at her with a tender expression on his face. Only minutes ago, he had thought of her as annoying. He shook his head. He was ashamed of himself for thinking of her that way. How dare he, when _he _was the reason that she looked at him so?

"Xiao Lang?" she prompted.

He forced a smile. "I'm fine, Sakura. I'm fine."

Eriol was right. He had to do something. Soon.

* * *

A short chapter, right? I know. I'm working on it. Please do review! Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Well to make it up to all my readers, here's chapter seven. Thank you for reviewing last time.

* * *

**Married?**

_by xArcherx_**  
**

**Chapter Seven**

"Oh. . .Daidouji." Syaoran said uncertainly. He had expected to see Sakura. When Tomoyo continued to observe him unperturbed, he shifted uncomfortably, "How have you been?" And felt like a complete idiot for asking that.

"I could ask you the same Li-kun." She smiled pleasantly and he found a strange comfort in the fact that she wasn't fluttering around him worriedly. He had had enough of those moments. Her gentle eyes flicked to his face before she turned away to adjust the curtains. "Sakura-chan was here all night. I forced her to leave your side to have breakfast. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." His face cleared, although he was a little embarrassed that Tomoyo could read him so well. To his surprise and even more embarrassment, he found himself rambling. "In fact, I'm glad. She's so intent on taking care of me that she forgets to take care of herself."

"Exactly the point I was trying to make." She took her place next to him, looking like a graceful ballerina. "She wouldn't listen to me. It was only when I let it slip _accidentally_—" here, her smile widened. "—that she would only make Li-kun worry sick about her own condition if she failed to take her own well-being into account that she left."

Syaoran looked away as he felt the full force of Tomoyo's gaze fall on him. Suddenly it unnerved him to have her near him. She was so observant and composed, completely opposite to what Sakura was. Sometimes he wondered how the two of them could be the best of friends. He sensed that Tomoyo knew that something was amiss—hell, she'd probably figured everything out. Nevertheless, he respected her for not voicing her worries. She knew the limits and it was probably her genuine concern for the both of them combined with her never-ending patience when it comes to Sakura that she'd kept quiet about her suspicions.

"She made me promise, however, that I'd keep you company while she gobbles down her breakfast." He was relieved to find that she was no longer observing him but simply watching him as one would when in a conversation. "And I thought, 'why not?' I didn't pay Li-kun a proper visit after the accident anyway."

Syaoran attempted to smile but, to his horror, found himself blushing furiously. Tomoyo certainly noticed this, but to his extreme relief, chose to ignore it. Instead, she looked down at him with genuine concern and asked unsmilingly, "How are you, Syaoran?"

Somehow her intimate use of his name did not feel like she was taking any liberties with him. And he surprised himself even more when he answered honestly, "Not so good."

She nodded, "I was afraid you'd say that."

When he stared at her in bewilderment, she grinned, "Sakura-chan isn't exactly the kind of person to stay calm in such situations, is she? I noticed how she was fluttering around you, trying to be helpful but not really succeeding." Her smile disappeared and she looked at him gravely. "She made it worse, didn't she? You must have had to hide your discomfort around her."

He looked at her, appalled. "You know her pretty well."

When she replied, he wanted to hang himself for his stupid statement. "Well, we _have_ been the best of friends for over ten years." But something in the way she said it unsettled Syaoran. Sure, he wasn't exactly a pro at deciphering people but here, right now, Tomoyo seemed almost. . .sad. When she looked at him again, the unnamed emotion was gone, "So yes, it must have been difficult for you."

"It was. . .still is, actually." He admitted truthfully, wisely not bringing attention to her strange manner.

"How are you, Syaoran?" She prompted this time, gently.

He let out a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm in hell. There's no other way to describe it. I have to be so damned conscious of my body _all_ the time. The slightest move in the wrong direction and I'm groaning for the next half-hour." He shook his head. "Sometimes. . .sometimes, it feels like I'm on fire and the rest of the time I want to scratch myself all over so badly and I have to reign in the urge. . .it's. . .it's torture." He looked at her blankly. "I can't wait for this to get over. I have no idea how I'm going to make it through another month. The end seems so far—" he abruptly cut himself off, immensely surprised – and slightly abashed – to have talked so much.

But Tomoyo was smiling at him. "Feel better?"

And he understood what she'd done. He nodded, smiling naturally, "Yeah. Thanks."

She shrugged and he couldn't help but wonder how she made even _that _look lady-like. "It's the least I can do." She stood up and made her way to the table laden with food and other refreshments. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"Orange juice would be nice."

Syaoran watched while she made bustled around, preparing something for herself as well. It struck him that this was the first time in weeks that he'd felt so comfortable in the presence of someone else. So many people kept visiting him day in and day out and all of them asked him the same question – _How do you feel?_ While he'd downplayed his physical state with all of them, he'd felt perfectly normal being honest with Tomoyo. It was ironic how she unnerved as well as put him in ease with a break of about five minutes between the two.

When she turned around with his orange juice in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, it crossed his mind to confide in her. Tomoyo was good at listening and even at offering solutions. Perhaps she could—perhaps she would—

"What is it?" she asked him plainly as she handed him his glass. "You look like you want to say something."

He bit back a sigh. There was no escaping it now, was there? Well, he could brush it off and change the subject. Tomoyo's never been the one to pry. But strangely, he _wanted _to tell her what was going on. He looked up at her and back down before blurting, "It's about Sakura."

Tomoyo had to restrain herself from practically yelling, '_What?_' sure that _that _would only unsettle Syaoran even more than he already was. Instead, she shot him a knowing look, sat back down and said, "Go on."

He fidgeted with the hem of his blanket, clearly unable to find the right words to express his thoughts. "I think. . ." he cleared his throat and tried again. "I think. . .that Sakura and I. . .we—well, that is, we might have to. . .you know—yeah. . .so. . ." he looked up at her desperately.

She shook her head slowly. "I didn't understand anything from that."

He flushed, "Sakura and I. . .we might have to. . .ah screw it—Sakura and I will probably be getting a divorce soon."

Tomoyo's reaction, despite everything, was still controlled. She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Her brow was wrinkled with worry and despite the genuine anxiety and the shock of hearing something so terrible, she was still as calm as anyone could get. He raised an eyebrow and felt strangely sarcastic, "Don't tell me you didn't see that coming."

"Oh Syaoran, don't say that." She chided him softly, still looking at him with a mournful expression on her face. "I admit that I thought there had been perhaps, a clash of opinions, and that you'd mutually agreed to take some time apart. I didn't let myself believe it was coming to an end." She looked down at her clenched fists. "What happened?"

"Nothing. _That's_ the point. Nothing ever _happened_." He set down his glass, only half-empty. "She doesn't. . .love me." He almost choked on the last two words. To his chagrin, he found his eyes welling up with tears. What was wrong with him? He had long ago accepted this fact. . .or had he? May be saying it out loud felt more like confirming it than accepting it silently.

Next to him, Tomoyo breathed in sharply. "That can't be true; you're all she thinks about."

He looked up at her angrily, wanting to retort, but he understood what she was trying to say. "She doesn't see me the way _I _see _her_. Clear enough for _you _to understand?" he couldn't help the last comment, as biting as it was. Talking about his unrequited feelings always made him bitter.

But she let it slide, knowing that he was hurting and this was his way of coping with it. She sighed audibly and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm really sorry to hear that." Her sincere tone made him regret his bitterness right away. "But. . .are you sure you want to end it so soon? It's only been a few months since the wedding."

"What's the point?" Nope. There was no letting go of the bitterness. "How long should we live a lie?"

"But Syaoran. . .haven't you ever heard of people learning to love?"

The question surprised him. She was asking him not to give up, to keep hoping. "I have. That's why I gave it six months." A flash of irritation crossed his features. "What do you want me to do, tie her down? It's better that I let her go now than later. This is better; for _both_ of us." His mouth was set in a hard line. "This way, she gets to find someone she truly loves and I. . .well maybe I'll _find _someone who really loves me too." But even as he said those words, a tear escaped his eye and trailed down his cheek; he was too overwhelmed by grief to be embarrassed. It felt so _good_, to finally let go and let the world see how he felt.

Tomoyo waited patiently for him to collect himself, patting his shoulder gently. Finally she said, "Sakura-chan is unhappy though."

"She's ridden with guilt."

"That's true," she conceded. "but that's not exactly what I meant. She seems to have lost her. . .optimism. And that worries me more than anything else."

Syaoran stared at her, long and hard. Just how perceptive was this woman? When she shot him a quizzical look, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "Hiiragizawa was here yesterday."

"Eriol-san?" Tomoyo's features were alight with curiosity. "I didn't see him."

"Yeah, well, he left pretty quickly." Syaoran replied, with a trace of annoyance in his voice. How was it that the short-sighted magician managed to charm everyone with his smile? Even Tomoyo seemed to like him. Didn't anyone feel the same queasy feeling that he felt whenever Hiiragizawa was around?

Tomoyo's interest was piqued. She looked at him shrewdly, "What did he say?"

From the tone of her voice, Syaoran realised that she was more interested in the piece of information he was going to offer than in _Hiiragizawa_ as such. He resisted the urge to smirk. Turns out the magician couldn't get every woman in the planet after all. "He came over to talk about Sakura. . .and her powers."

She sucked in a breath and he noticed that her features were unnaturally distressed. Then it struck him. She did not have magical abilities. Her ignorance in this matter unnerved her. Syaoran smiled. She did like to be a know-it-all, didn't she? But the look of worry on her face brought him back to reality and the pressing matter at hand. "The Cards. . .they are under Hiiragizawa's control now." He stared at his hands, recalling his earlier decision to do something about Sakura's unhappiness. He was yet to see her that morning. "Sakura unconsciously handed over the ownership when we separated." At the look on her face, he hastened to add, "But it's temporary. Actually. . .that's what he wanted to talk about. He needed Sakura to reassert her ownership soon. The Cards won't last otherwise."

A few more questions followed by more elaborate answers had Tomoyo sighing, "This can't be happening."

"It is."

"No. . ." she shook her head slowly. "Something about this is. . .fishy."

Syaoran looked at her incredulously. Of all the words that could be used to describe the situation, she decided to go with _fishy_?

Noting his expression, she attempted a small smile. "I didn't mean it like _that_. It's just. . .strange that Sakura's feelings can change so quickly; or easily."

He shook his head. "You don't get it. Sakura's _never _been in love with me to fall out of it."

Tomoyo stared at him for a long moment before replying simply, "No."

"What do you—"

"Syaoran," she interrupted him, looking resolute. "I've known Sakura-chan for ten years now. And I _know _how she felt and whatever it was, it wasn't platonic."

"Don't." He replied, after a long pause. "Don't give me false hope. Please."

The way he was looking at her, crushed her. His eyes were pleading for her to stop. He couldn't take it anymore – he couldn't handle more hope. Here, being in this moment, watching Sakura unhappy, fighting his own pain, both physical and emotional, and pulling a brave face in front of everyone else – all of this was taking a toll on him.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. Her thoughts, for now, didn't matter. But she couldn't shake off the distinct feeling that something about the separation was unnatural. Sakura was hardly herself anymore and Syaoran was bitter. All of it was ruining Sakura's magical capabilities. 'I need to look into a few things,' she decided. 'I need to find out what's going on.'

She had no idea whose help she was going to enlist but surely, there must be someone here, just like her, who was trying to get some answers too. There had to be.

* * *

And there was.

Kaho Mizuki could not really comprehend what Sonomi was describing.

_The wedding ceremony was over. The couple was now truly married. Sonomi smiled to herself as she watched Syaoran kiss Sakura sweetly. The sight of the happy couple was sure to lift everyone's spirits. _

_And as people crowded around the newly-weds, eager to wish them the very best, Sonomi's attention was directed to one particular youth, with eccentric blue hair, a tall lean structure, and a pale, icy complexion. He was the last in line, however, so Sonomi had ample time to study him._

_He seemed like he came from a wealthy family. The way he held himself and the suit he wore hinted at that. He smiled at people he seemed to recognize and even struck up a conversation with some of the people in line. But something about him unsettled Sonomi. She wasn't close enough to discern all of his features but now and then, he'd look around surreptitiously – he was so sly that Sonomi was sure no one would have thought it strange if they had not been observing him as closely as she was._

_When, at last, it was his turn to wish the couple, he turned to them with a gentlemanly smile plastered on his face. Sakura, Sonomi noted, was clearly excited on seeing him. Syaoran, on the other hand, looked at him warily and his movements were more stilted than usual as he answered his questions. The mysterious young man, for his part, seemed sincere in his inquiries. 'Perhaps Syaoran has something against him?' Sonomi mused. Unable to take the curiosity, Sonomi stood up from her seat and made her way to the couple as inconspicuously as possible. Under the pretence of looking for someone, she edged closer to the altar._

_As if on cue, Syaoran glanced at Sakura nervously when the man diverted his attention to her. Sakura was rather chirpy and was much, much happier when conversing with him. When the blue-haired man held out his hands and stepped forward, Sakura happily embraced him and looked up at him as he planted a kiss on her cheek affectionately. She seemed to think nothing of it but Syaoran. . ._

_Syaoran, however, looked rather purple even from this distance. It looked like he was going to lose control any minute then and punch the taller man._

"_I really am sorry, Sakura-chan." Said man was saying when Sonomi was within earshot. "But I've got some really urgent business to attend to."_

_Sakura looked crestfallen. "But Eriol! You just got here. At least stay for the reception."_

_Eriol shook his head gravely. Sonomi cast another glance their way and saw that Syaoran seemed rather relieved. "I must go." Eriol reiterated._ "_There's some crisis at the company."_

"_Oh, all right." Sakura said resignedly. "But promise to visit us again soon!"_

_Eriol grinned, "That I promise." He turned to Syaoran. "Good luck, Syaoran-kun."_

"_Yes, Hiiragizawa." Syaoran muttered and almost breathed a sigh of relief when Eriol walked away._

_Eriol Hiiragizawa. Sonomi ran the name over and over in her head to see if it sounded familiar. Hiiragizawa. . .wasn't there a rather well-known company of that name somewhere? Sonomi's musings were cut short when she realised that Eriol was almost out of her sight. On an impulse, she started to follow him. If she had stopped to think about what she was doing, she might have, perhaps, felt idiotic. But Sonomi didn't give room for such thoughts, focusing keenly on keeping Eriol within her line of vision while simultaneously appearing subtle in her actions._

_Surprisingly, he seemed to know his way around the church. Sonomi had assumed that he'd be leaving right away, judging from the snippet of conversation she had just heard. Naturally, he must be staying in a hotel of some sort. So if she could find out the license plate number of the vehicle he was currently using, she could use that to find out where he was staying and from there she could. . ._

_It was all really simple. Sonomi had connections, after all._

_But at the last moment, he hid himself beneath an oak tree that had been planted along with numerous other trees on either side of the building. Sonomi froze, panicked. Any second now, he would turn around to see if anyone was following him and spot her. She whipped out her cell phone and began talking in rapid Japanese, in the hopes that he would dismiss her as someone oblivious._

_For a few minutes, everything was quiet. Sonomi terminated her talking-over-the-phone act, beginning to feel slightly silly. Mustering her courage, she ventured closer to the oak tree. . .and stopped short._

_There was no one there._

_She mentally scolded herself for being so stupid. He had only hidden under the tree to throw any one following him off the trail. And she had fallen right into it. By now, he had probably made his escape. Determined not to give up yet, she walked past the oak tree in what she hoped was the right direction. She passed rows and rows of trees ('Just how big is this church?'), until at a distance she spotted a ruined warehouse. In any other situation, she would have questioned its presence in a church but at that particular moment, logic flew out of her brain when she witnessed a flash of light – somewhat subdued – diverge from the warehouse._

_Magic. . .?_

_Now feeling somewhat afraid, she slowly made her way closer to the building, careful not to make even the slightest of sounds. Conveniently, for her, there were two concentric circles of trees around the warehouse along with many bushes and shrubs. They made for a perfectly good hiding spot. _

_Her elegant gown disregarded, she got down on her knees and legs and crawled closer to the warehouse until she could decipher the noises coming from inside._

"_It is done." A deep, male voice said. It sounded like Eriol's except it was much less. . .pleasant. "The spell's been cast."_

_Sonomi's eyes widened. Spell? Eriol was a magician, then. Just like Sakura and Syaoran. Somehow, she did not like the sound of Eriol's voice anymore. And so, Sonomi concluded that the spell, whatever it was, could not be a good one._

"_Good." The other voice was older, much more serious. "There's nothing left to do but wait."_

_Silence. Sonomi almost began to wonder if the conversation was over already when Eriol said, "He's going to know soon. He'll realise my presence sooner than you think."_

"_That will work in our favour. If we can manipulate him further. . ." there was an ominous ring to the other man's tone that made Sonomi shudder involuntarily. "Again, patience. We will have to wait; but not long." Eriol grunted. "Go on, then. We'll meet again when—"_

_But Sonomi was already scrambling to a promising bush. Her tall, lithe frame was hidden by the dense leaves and twigs. Soon, she heard footsteps and the blue colour of his hair was visible through tiny gaps in the bushes. Sonomi waited, for God knows how long, for the other man to emerge but. . . he never did._

Sonomi looked shaken, as she recounted the incident.

"Maybe the other man went in the opposite direction." Kaho said doubtfully.

But she shook her head. "I had a complete view of the warehouse. I would have been able to make out another person if they had exited it. But no. . .no one was there. I even went inside to check." Sonomi's eyes were glassy as she explained.

'She must have been so scared,' Kaho thought distractedly. Placing a hand on the older woman's shoulder, she said, as soothingly as possible, "It's going to be all right, Sonomi."

But the woman twisted away at the touch. "How? Tell me how?" Kaho noticed that she was on the verge of crying. "Something terrible has happened. And no one knows how to fix it!"

"Let's not jump into conclusions—"

"No. Let's." Sonomi was breathing heavily now. "What I saw, what I witnessed that day, it was _real_. I'm not some deluded—"

"No one's saying you're crazy, Sonomi." Kaho was appalled by the insinuation. "I believe you. Eriol Hiiragizawa—" here, her lips quivered, despite her best attempt to remain composed. "—might be a magician, after all. Moreover, he's friends with Sakura. Surely, she must be aware of the fact."

At her words, Sonomi seemed to snap back into reality. She seemed to look at Kaho in a different light. "You. . ." she choked. "You use. . .magic."

Kaho pursed her lips. "Only when it's absolutely necessary. I—"

But Sonomi gripped her shoulders and looked at her eagerly, "You can help! You can meet this man and find out what sort of magic he uses and—"

"Sonomi. . ." Kaho gently but firmly extracted herself from her grasp. "I'm not that powerful." At the older woman's crestfallen face, she sighed. Things were starting to get more and more complicated. The news that Sonomi had had to offer was. . .strange. Eriol was acting strange. Her mind went back to the day of their break-up, how detached and cold he had sounded, and how he had had no explanation to offer. 'Don't think about it.' Presently, a new thought occurred to her. She looked back at Sonomi, "Why didn't you tell this to anyone before? Why did you wait for so long?"

She looked embarrassed, "I. . .I didn't know who to talk about this to. Sakura or Syaoran were not options. They had just got married! As for you, you left for that trip, remember? You left the very next day. And I wasn't closely-acquainted with anyone else who used magic." She ran a hand through her short hair. "Besides, I had very little information to offer. For all I know, Hiiragizawa could have been practicing some sort of advanced magic." She shook her head. "I thought it would be better to keep things to myself for a while and do some research on my own."

Kaho understood. She probably would have done something similar if she had been in Sonomi's place. But right now, she needed to do something before things spiralled way out of control. She nodded at Sonomi, "I promise to look into it, Sonomi." She smiled but the older woman was lost in a world of her own. Sensing that she needed some time alone, Kaho exited the room and turned left to find—

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop." Tomoyo looked properly apologetic.

And it clicked. Kaho knew what she had to do. She had to see the Guardians.

* * *

Eriol twisted uncomfortably in bed. He had an early flight to catch tomorrow—he was visiting his mother in England. But for some indecipherable reason, he had been unable to sleep for the past—Eriol looked at the clock—two hours.

He sighed and got out of bed. Something was bothering him. He was having a difficult time trying to come to terms with the fact that recently he had been unable to understand his actions. Obviously, it was something _he _had done unbeknownst to himself that was bothering him because nothing else could possibly keep him up at night.

His thoughts immediately flew to Kaho but he dismissed them silently. He would look into that and analyse it later when he wasn't nagged by a rather ugly emotion rooted at the pit of his stomach. He entered his other room wherein sat a huge, red chair. Feeling strangely anxious, he walked up to it slowly and sat down.

Immediately, a jolt of electricity seemed to pass through him; the mirror displayed his startled, drawn face. What was happening? Where did that energy come from? He watched as his brow creased with worry.

And he watched as his lips suddenly pulled back into a feral grin, "Why, hello there."

The movement shocked him. He had not smiled; neither had he spoken. Where. . .but where was the voice coming from?

Something close to fear coursed through his veins. Struggling to bring his emotions under control, he spoke this time, slowly, so he could watch his reflection in the mirror, "Who are you?"

Sure enough, the mirror imitated him. But as he waited with bated breath for an answer, his face twisted again to reveal a rather mean-looking countenance with the same smile, "I am disappointed, Eriol. Don't you know me?"

Eriol sprung up from his chair and the face vanished. He walked up to the mirror, his gait strangely unbalanced and stood when he was inches apart from the reflecting surface. The fear in his eyes was evident as he observed himself. His ragged breath misted the surface as he spoke, "Who. . .who are you?"

But this time, there was no feral smile. This time, there was only the pale, shaken form to look to for an answer as it slid down in terror and confusion.

Someone was inside of him.

* * *

Thank you for reading. I'll try to update regularly but I never have been good with promises. Please review.


	9. Chapter 9

A thousand apologies! I'm so sorry! I got caught up in schoolwork again. I know this chapter won't make up for it, but, here it is anyway!

* * *

**Married?**

_by xArcherx_

**Chapter Eight**

"This is going to be a little tricky." Kaho sighed uncharacteristically as she leaned back in her chair. It felt like she was always exhausted no matter how many hours she slept or how many cups of coffee she had to pull herself together. She frowned unconsciously at the thought. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so fatigued. The incident with the fire really was dampening all of their spirits. She glanced at Tomoyo, seated in an identical chair placed across from hers, who looked the exact opposite of how she felt. There was some colour in her usually pale cheeks and her eyes were shining brightly. Tomoyo looked, for the lack of a better term, _gleeful_.

She seemed to register Kaho's words belatedly. A slight frown marred her features. "Tricky how?"

"Well, for starters, it will take us some time to get there." They were discussing how to get to the Guardians. Kaho stared at her hands curled in her lap. "I can't use magic to transport us."

"Why not?" It frustrated Tomoyo that even after years of being Sakura's closest friend, she still could not grasp certain aspects of the magic that she – and the rest of them – wielded. "I mean, Sakura would often use the Fly Card to get me somewhere if there was an emergency—"

"Sakura's magic is different from my own." Kaho interrupted gently. "She's the Card Mistress. My…_access_ to my magic is much more limited. Especially since I don't use Cards."

Tomoyo's brows knitted in confusion. Again. There were suddenly a lot of questions she needed answers to. But she pushed them away with effort. She could always learn about the technical aspects of Kaho's magic later. As it was, they were running out of time. She took a deep breath and nodded. "So we'll have to book tickets?"

"Yes. That's not exactly a problem. This whole plan will have to be carried out in secret."

Kaho's worried tone only added to her confusion. Hadn't they been over this already? Of course they had to carry this out on their own. Including someone else was unnecessary and dangerous. It was also extremely foolish because they were basically acting on a whim here – something neither of them was comfortable with but that was just how things had unfurled. Desperation had pushed them to take drastic measures. They had to hold on to the smallest, most insignificant clues. That was all that they had. "I understand that." Tomoyo said quietly.

Kaho hastened to explain. "It's just that we can't expect to disappear all of a sudden without a proper, believable explanation. People are much more agitated at the moment than usual, what with everything else that has been taking place. . ." She trailed off, not quite sure of where she was going with that thread of thought. "Can you think of any excuse to give them?"

Tomoyo shook her head. She had been thinking about it every since the previous night, when she had overheard her mother talking to Kaho about the wedding. "I honestly don't know. Mother will throw a fit if I tell her I'm going away for a few days. And Sakura. . .well, I know she has a lot on her plate right now, but what excuse do I give her for abandoning her?"

"Exactly." She took a deep breath and began yet another attempt at dissuading Tomoyo from accompanying her. "It's easier for me to get away. Sonomi-san is in no condition to work. I could persuade her to let me go check—"

"Kaho-chan. Please, don't." Tomoyo's gentle voice stopped her. She stared at the younger girl, biting her lip. "I know that you think it's unnecessary for me to come along. I know that I'm useless when it comes to dealing with magic. But I want to help." She looked up at Kaho, her eyes burning with a fierce determination that was seldom seen on her. "I can't shake away this feeling—this _need_ to be there. I promise to listen to all your instructions. I will try my best to not become a burden."

The earnestness in her voice was not lost on Kaho. She sighed for a second time as she nodded resignedly. "Very well." She smiled tiredly. "Let's move on then."

They discussed various excuses but there was always one loophole or another that made most of the ideas useless. They shot down each other's ideas, debated the pros and cons of some that seemed like they could work but, more often than not, they concluded that the excuses were far-fetched and lapsed into silence soon.

"Maybe we could use Eriol-san." Tomoyo said randomly.

Kaho stiffened noticeably. "What. . ._how _do you mean?"

"Well, okaa-san is curious to know who he is, isn't she? Perhaps you could say that you've been doing some research and that you _might_ have found something about him." Kaho raised an eyebrow. That was an inadequate explanation but Tomoyo continued. "You could tell her that, to confirm your suspicions, you need to go visit a place."

"She would want to know what exactly I had managed to unearth about him."

"I know. You could tell her it has something to do with his magic and that you'd rather not say anything at all until you are certain that you have your facts right." Tomoyo's eyes were shining again. "You will have to tell her that she will have to keep the reason for your sudden departure a secret because you _really_ don't want a lot of people knowing, just in case you're wrong about everything."

Kaho stared at her thoughtfully. That _could _work, except. . ."But Tomoyo, where do _you _come in?"

She smiled bitterly in response.

* * *

Sonomi returned to her hotel room after another day at the hospital, worrying incessantly about Sakura and Syaoran and half-hoping and half-dreading to see Eriol Hiiragizawa again. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there had been no sign of the man today and Sonomi had been left to wonder once more about the strange incident that had taken place on Sakura and Syaoran's wedding day.

She sat down on her bed as she removed her heels and then lay flat on her back. Confiding in Kaho about what she had seen had truly helped relieve a major part of the burden that had been bothering her. She had been so afraid of letting people know about what she had seen – she had been quite certain that she would have been termed 'delusional'. But in retrospect, she could not help but admit (to herself) that it had been foolish of her to keep it to herself. Kaho had believed her. Kaho had assured her that she would look into it. She could breathe a little easily now.

The knock on the door startled Sonomi but she sat up immediately when she heard Kaho's voice. She hurried to the door and opened it to find the other woman looking slightly worried. Her heartbeat quickened. She really could not have more than one moment of peace. "What is it? What's happened?"

"Nothing, nothing. May I come in?" Sonomi stood aside to let her in, her panic subsiding slightly. Kaho wanted to talk. That certainly meant there was no imminent danger. She was, however, surprised to find her pacing the length of the room, obviously feeling uneasy. It really was quite a sight to see Kaho wringing her hands.

"Would you like something to drink?"

Kaho looked surprised by the very mundane question. She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. There's just something I need to talk to you about." She paused and Sonomi waited, curious. "I don't quite know how to say this. . ." She crossed the room to look out the window. Without turning around, she said, "It's about Eriol Hiiragizawa."

Sonomi was astonished, to say the least. It was only last night that she had told Kaho what she had seen and made clear her desperation to know more about the man. What could have Kaho possibly discovered about him in twenty four hours that Sonomi had not managed to find out in the last six months? "That's. . .that's. . ." She really didn't know what that was. "What did you find out?"

Kaho kept her back to her and pretended to trace a pattern in the window frame. It was easier to carry out the plan this way. She still had trouble saying his name effortlessly. Sonomi was a perceptive woman, even if recent events had altered that a bit (but who was she to talk, anyway?), and Kaho could not take any chances. This needed to be perfect. Or the closest it could come to it, anyway. "His magical abilities are. . .amazing."

"How. . ._how—"_

"I talked to Sakura-chan this morning." This was an outright lie. "Apparently, Hiiragizawa-san paid Syaoran another visit. Today." She finally turned around.

Sonomi frowned. So she really had missed him after all. But she looked up at Kaho eagerly. "And?"

"And. . .I was there too. I didn't see him, but I should have been able to sense him." Sonomi's bewildered look was quite similar to Tomoyo's. Kaho sighed and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. "People who use magic have an aura around them that other people, with magical abilities, can sense. There is a range, of course, but sensing Hiiragizawa's aura should have been easy. But. . ." Kaho shook her head. "I couldn't. I had no idea he had been there." Sonomi was hanging on to her every word. "This either means that he has no magical abilities whatsoever or that he is powerful enough that he can conceal his own aura. And judging from what you told me last night, I think we can conclude that it's the latter."

Sonomi cradled her head in her hands, slowly processing this. Kaho watched her silently, hoping her explanation had been convincing enough. She had gone over this plenty of times before knocking on Sonomi's door but she was still quite anxious as to how the older woman would react. "Sonomi?"

She lifted her head from her hands and looked up at Kaho. "Are you. . .are you basing this entirely on what I said last night?"

"Not exactly. I could tell, from the way Sakura-chan spoke about him, that he was—he had magic in him."

Sonomi nodded slowly. She could understand that. "What are we going to do?"

Kaho took her time answering. "I have my suspicions about who exactly he is." She heard Sonomi's sharp intake of breath but refused to look at her. This was probably the only honest piece of information that she would be giving Sonomi for the day. "But I'll have to make a few trips to confirm them."

"Where will you go?" Sonomi's voice was barely above a whisper. "You can't take off to some unknown place with this small discovery."

"I'm going to start from scratch." Kaho ran a hand through her hair absentmindedly. "I'll have to visit his high school and see if I can learn anything from there. I'll have to test my magical skills and see if I can probe him again." On seeing the frown on Sonomi's face, she elaborated. "It's a magical term. It means trying to gauge the other person's aura and—"

"Never mind." Sonomi said brusquely. "I'll never understand."

Kaho nodded. "But, Sonomi, I want you to trust me on this." She took the older woman's hand and squeezed it. Her eyes were blazing. Sonomi stared into them, surprised. "I know I'm leaving you with nothing. I know what I just said made no sense to you whatsoever and I understand that this is rather _reckless _of me. But I would do anything—_anything _at all to find something that could help us all." This much was true.

Her beseeching look made Sonomi relent. She nodded wordlessly. "I understand. And I cannot thank you enough. But Kaho, promise me that you'll be careful."

After numerous reassurances and a promise from Sonomi to not a breathe a word about it to anyone, Kaho finally retreated to her own room—only to find Tomoyo waiting for her , her face full of anxiety. Kaho smiled weakly and nodded. Part of the plan had been executed. It was now Tomoyo's turn.

* * *

It had been so long since the last time Spinel had _really _been worried that when he experienced it one morning, it felt quite alien to him.

They had only just returned from England after visiting Eriol's mother. Spinel was watching Ruby cook breakfast for Eriol (to make sure she didn't accidentally kill the man with some of her preparations) the morning after their return and his thoughts were all over the place. He wondered idly about how long they were to stay in Japan, about how the Cards were giving Eriol a bit of a headache and then about Eriol, himself.

And he realized that he, Spinel, was worried about his master.

It was common knowledge that Eriol was a strange and mysterious man. Some people even called him eccentric, and Spinel couldn't say he disagreed. But you know there is something seriously wrong with the universe when Eriol Hiiragizawa does something that would be considered _strange _even by similar, eccentric people like him.

Ruby Moon was not particularly concerned even though she knew Spinel was worried. Spinel understood that Ruby had not been created to be the 'thinker'. That job had been assigned to him, instead. And judging from all the things he had seen and wondered about in the last seven days, something very ominous was going to happen. It was what most people called 'gut feeling', and when you are one of the companions of a powerful _and _peculiar sorcerer, you had to rely on your instincts a lot.

And recently, Spinel's instincts have been telling him that the fire in Tomoeda was somehow connected to Eriol.

Normally, Spinel would brush such a thought aside and attribute its creation to the accidental ingestion of a sweet that had sent his brain into overdrive. _That _was much more plausible than the stupid notion in his head. You can trust your instincts only so much.

But Spinel had some proof to back the statement. He did not quite understand why he had not thought of it before – the day of the incident was a distant memory and it bothered him that he had not paid attention to Eriol's behavior that day. It was unlike Spinel to be careless – he was always on guard even when danger was the last thing on most people's minds and it unnerved him that he had chosen to take the day off on a very important day.

If he was being honest with himself, Spinel felt like he had just. . ._conveniently_ forgotten about what had happened on the day of the fire. It was only now dawning upon him to try to recollect the events of the day. He was only now starting to ask himself the question, 'Where were we just before the fire started?'. It was this sudden realization that he had slacked off that frightened Spinel the most.

He had tried numerous times, after this particular awareness, to make himself remember what had happened. But all he could remember was that Eriol had spent the entire day with them and nothing remarkable had happened. Somehow, Spinel did not trust this recollection. The day was a blur and it felt strangely like someone had tampered with his memory, modifying it to suit their convenience.

It felt like he was only just breaking free from a powerful spell—one that had been cast to keep him from finding out anything.

"Ah, Ruby-chan is cooking again?" Spinel turned to see Eriol standing by the kitchen door, smiling serenely. He looked just like he always did in the mornings. It surprised Spinel just how much the sight of him calmed his racing heart. His happiness was directly linked to Eriol's.

"Yes, yes. Suppi-chan's been keeping an eye on me, though—as if I was bound to do something wrong." Ruby shot Spinel a reproachful look, who, used to this nonsense, rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"That sounds rather discouraging." Eriol said distractedly, as he sorted through the mail near the front door. Spinel watched him like he had never watched his master before, fully aware that Eriol was quite conscious of this sudden scrutiny. It struck him as odd, however, when Eriol continued to go about the house as if he hadn't caught Spinel staring at him.

Something was definitely wrong. Eriol never avoided confrontations. Why hadn't he turned around and said, "What is the matter, Spinel? Why are you looking at me like that?"? Was it, perhaps, because Ruby was around?

Spinel dismissed the thought. As thick as Ruby might pretend to be sometimes, she was never kept in the dark about anything. Ever. Ruby might not concern herself with a lot of things but that did not mean that she was not just as useful and skilled as Spinel in whatever she was asked to undertake. Their personalities differed quite a bit but Ruby had a malicious side to her that, more often than not, outshone Spinel's own evil side.

"Breakfast's ready!" Ruby chirped as she set the plates down on the table. "Eriol-sama?"

But their master was fully dressed and was slipping into his jacket. Eriol smiled at them apologetically. "I am really sorry, Ruby-chan, but I'm going to have to enjoy your delicious meal another time." And without another word, he swiftly disappeared out the front door.

"I can't remember the last time Eriol skipped breakfast." Ruby commented and turned to Spinel. "Can you?"

He could. It was the morning after Kaho-chan left them.

* * *

Syaoran watched as Sakura made him some hot chocolate. He had been craving something sweet and everything in the hospital cafeteria tasted like cardboard so when he had mentioned this to Sakura without thinking it through – honestly, these days it felt like he was walking on eggshells whenever he talked to her – she had taken it upon herself to prepare something. In all honestly, hot chocolate wasn't exactly what he had had in mind – he would have needed an entire _meal _of chocolate to be satisfied – but Sakura's enthusiasm had been infectious. She was rarely ever enthusiastic about anything anymore. He had realized that after both Tomoyo and Hiiragizawa had pointed it out.

It was almost a week (six days, to be precise) since the accident and he wasn't feeling any better, but of course, he kept his mouth firmly shut about his problems whenever Sakura was in the room. He really could not take another fit of tears. He wasn't even in the physical condition to embrace her and stroke her hair. Hell, he could hardly move.

But he had noticed something else about Sakura that had surprised him, in a good way. She wasn't fawning over him anymore. That's not to say that she neglected him – she was still as observant and careful as ever around him – but she was no longer asking him if he needed anything every five seconds and she even left the room sometimes when he dozed off (he would wake up to find himself alone).

It was quite a relief, actually.

"Here you are, Syaoran." She placed two mugs of hot chocolate on the small table next to him and helped him sit up. He gritted his teeth at the movement but remained silent. His palms, surprisingly, were devoid of bandages and after hesitating for a moment, Sakura handed him one of the mugs and sat down beside him.

He was so surprised that he almost dropped the mug. She was trusting him with a utensil. She thought he was capable of _holding _something. His astonishment must have been rather obvious because she smiled at him sadly. "You look surprised."

Well, denying it would be stupid. She would be able to see right through it. "It's just that I. . .well, I didn't think you would be. . ."

"So careless around you?" The smile was almost teasing now.

His eyes widened. Was he dreaming or did Sakura actually look a little less worried today? He nodded. "Yeah. What brought this on?"

She took a sip before answering. "Tomoyo-chan talked to me yesterday."

He frowned. What had happened yesterday? Oh. . .of course, she had come to see him and he had cried embarrassingly in front of her and she had asked him not to lose hope. Yeah, as if it wasn't hard enough to let go, the woman actually wanted him to hold on more tightly. He noticed that Sakura was watching him closely. He got rid of the frown and looked at her expectantly.

She took his mug away from him and placed it back on the table, along with hers. She then turned to him completely and took both of his hands in hers. She studied their intertwined hands as she spoke, "She explained how you must be in a lot more pain than you were letting on. She made me realize that my idea of taking care of you was not exactly. . .it was not helping you, at all." She looked up at him and for a second, he could see the familiar worry and guilt in her eyes. "It must have been annoying, having me by your side all the time, attacking you with questions about how you're feeling. . .God." She let go of his hands and buried her face in her own. "I'm so sorry, Syaoran. I thought I was helping, honestly! I had no idea I was being a bother."

"Sakura." He stared at her. She would not face him. "Nothing about you is annoying."

It was true. Keeping up the façade had been exhausting but he knew Sakura. Worrying about other people was a part of who she was. He had learnt to accept that a long time ago. He loved her for it, too. But the attention had been rather overwhelming after a point and in the end, Syaoran was Syaoran. He got grumpy about it but wouldn't tell her that it was "annoying" him. Thankfully, Tomoyo had stepped in and helped them both. He didn't know if he should thank her or yell at her the next time she decided to pay him a visit. It bothered him a little that she had talked to Sakura about it.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Sakura smiled brightly. "You called me annoying."

He blushed at the memory. He remembered it rather well. They had been ten years old and he had recently shifted to Tomoeda. He had hated how she kept pursuing him, not to mention that she was just so damned _nice _all the time. Oh and let's not forget the fact that she was also chasing down the Cards just like he was. "I barely knew you then." He mumbled, embarrassed.

She giggled but quieted down when she took in his awed expression. "Syaoran, I'm not saying that I don't worry about you anymore. I'm still just as worried as before. But I'm learning to. . .dial it down a bit." She tilted her head to one side. "Does that make sense?" He nodded. "Good. I understand that it really must have bothered you—don't make any excuses, I just _know_, okay? And since I'm your best friend, I think I'll be able to handle it if you just told me it was annoying you, Syaoran." She shot him a dry look that was so unlike her that he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

She grinned in response and excused herself to go to the bathroom. He reached for the mug and held it with both his hands, deep in thought. Seeing a hint of the old Sakura had hurt him once more. It made him long for how things used to be before they had got married. The romantic dates, the secret smiles, the surprise visits—they really had lit up his world. _She _had lit up his world.

A tear dripped from his chin and fell into the mug. He sobbed as he hugged the mug closer, unaware that just outside the door, Sakura was struggling to hide her own tears as she watched him suffer.

* * *

Thank you so, so much for reading this! I know it's a very boring chapter and also very short but I'm still working through the plot, making a few changes here and there. I am immensely grateful to all the people who still continue to read this story. I know asking for reviews is too much, but PLEASE DO REVIEW!

On a completely irrelevant note, I have started another fanfic. I know what you're thinking: 'Really? Why would you do that when you're so awful at updating?' But it was just something that happened. So if any of you are interested in reading a Honey and Clover fanfict, please check mine out. It's called 'Wishful Thinking'. Thank you!


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